Dorothy Sims

Dorothy Fay (Whitley) Sims, 89, passed away on September 16, 2014, after a short illness. Throughout her long life, she was a loving wife, devoted mother and devout Christian. She will be sorely missed by her family and friends. "Dottie" as she liked to be called, was born in Cumby, Texas, in Hopkins County on December 10, 1924. She lived her childhood as the youngest of a large family struggling to survive during the Great Depression. This experience forged her determination and work ethic for the remainder of her life. She was a fiercely proud Texan her entire life, though she spent almost 70 wonderful years in her proudly adopted state of Alabama. After Dottie finished high school, she attended business school in Dallas where she met her future husband and followed him back to his home state of Alabama to begin a marriage of 57 years. She worked into her 70's, starting first as a book keeper, and ending as an Executive Secretary. A firm believer in the value of education, she and her husband encouraged and aided their 2 sons in their pursuit of careers in healthcare professions. In her personal life, she enjoyed the study of family genealogy, on both the Alabama and Texas sides. She also loved to dance, exercise and write, prose as well as poetry. In addition, she was an avid reader, crossword puzzler, and enjoyed computer games and creating her own greeting cards. She was a longtime member of Dawson Memorial Baptist Church. She was preceded in death by her husband, Lester Mitchell Sims, BA, MA, Ed.D., in 2002. As the youngest of her family, she was also preceded in death by her parents, her six sisters and one brother. Survivors include her eldest son, David Michael Sims, DMD (Carolyn) of Birmingham, Alabama and Richard Dale Sims, MD, (Renee) of Dallas, Texas. She is also survived by her granddaughters, Leslie, Rachel, and Dana and four great granddaughters. All who knew and cared about her give thanks that she knew the peace and joy that comes from being in the presence of her Lord and Savior and the many loved ones who preceded her. Services will be on Thursday, September 18, 2014 at 2:00 PM at Jefferson Memorial Funeral Home. Visitation will be an hour prior to services. Burial will follow at Jefferson Memorial Gardens East. Rev. Greg Foust will be officiating over the services. Jefferson Memorial Trussville directing.