Mary (Williams) Sims

Mary (Williams) Sims, of Temple, passed away Tuesday, February 10, 2015, in a local hospital, at age 83. Graveside services will be held at 2:00 P.M. on Wednesday, February 11, 2015, at Lost Prairie Cemetery, with Rev. Marcus Sheffield officiating. Mary was born February 28, 1931 to Elbert Hayes Williams and Mary Lena Cobb Williams in rural Limestone County. She grew up and graduated from high school in Fair Oaks. Mary graduated from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston as an RN in 1951. She remained in Galveston two more years in her nursing career and then worked one year in Huntsville. During her schooling and nursing, Mary was in correspondence with her high school sweetheart from Fair Oaks, Donald Sims, while he was serving in the U. S. Navy from 1951 through 1954. After his discharge from the Navy, Mary and Donald were united in marriage on August 25, 1955 in Teague, TX. After their year in Huntsville, they moved to Groesbeck. Mary dedicated her life to being a wife and mother and raising their two girls. She continued to love nursing, but loved being a mother more. The family lived at Shiloh awhile and then moved to Mexia where the daughters attended school. After the girls were older, she worked part-time on weekends as a nurse at the hospital in Mexia. Temple was home to Mary and Donald for the longest part of their lives. Mary enjoyed sports, especially watching the Texas Rangers and Dallas Mavericks on TV, and an annual trip to Arlington to see the Rangers play for several years. She loved working puzzle books at home. Mary attended the First Baptist church while living in Mexia and later in Temple. She and Donald were close to celebrating sixty years of marriage. Mary was preceded in death by her parents Elbert and Mary Lena Williams; a sister, Jane Williams, and brothers, Bobbie Williams, Elbert Williams, Jr., Gaylon “Cody” Williams (who lost his life in WWII while serving with the Royal Air Force of England), Paul Williams, and Carl Williams. She is survived by her husband of 59 years, Donald Sims; daughter, Janet Sims of Carthage; daughter and son-in-law, Gerry (Sims) and Danny J. Burks of Henderson; two grandchildren, John T. Burks and Shelley R. Burks Tamplin; one great grandson, Erik Smith; brother, Ovid K. Williams of Magnolia; sister, Gerry Jean Williams Simms of Gainesville, FL: and brother, Jerry V. Williams of Groesbeck.