John Franklin Shields Sims, Jr.
April 2, 1958 ~ November 13, 2020
John Franklin Shields Sims Jr., 62, passed away at Inova Fairfax Hospital in Virginia on November 13, 2020, after a short battle with acute leukemia.
"John Frank" was born April 2, 1958 in Columbus, MS, the fourth child and only son of the late Shields Sims and Elizabeth (Beth) Carley Sims, of Columbus. He attended S.D. Lee High School and earned a B.A. in Political Science from Mississippi State University.
Throughout his life he was a passionate duck and quail hunter in the ponds, sloughs, and cornfields of the Great State of Mississippi (as he called it). It was a proud moment when he became an Eagle Scout, and over the years, he often reminisced about his trip to the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. True to his sense of adventure, his endeavors took him around the country and abroad. When he moved to Maine after graduating from college, he worked for a local law firm and as an escrow administrator for Casco Northern Bank. There he met and married the former Tanya L. Kendrick on February 10, 1990. They lived in Virginia where he worked as a Network Administrator for Perspecta, Inc. proudly raising three sons - John Franklin Shields Sims III, Ethan Spencer Kendrick Sims, and Evan Nelson Chisholm Sims.
John Frank was a quiet, unassuming man, a gentle spirit, and a scholar of WWII and Civil War history. He spent countless hours in the fields and woods of the Manassas National Battlefield Park. Always a Bulldog, he was an avid fan of MSU football, never missing a televised game, and dared to cheer for the Washington Redskins. Watching the rocket launches from Cape Canaveral spurred his love of space and space exploration. John Frank was a great supporter of NASA and thrilled with the accomplishments of SPACEX, bringing us into a new age. He never missed the International Space Station flyovers as it flew in near orbit. He was a deep thinker, amazing inventor, voracious reader, and gifted wordsmith with an uncanny sense of humor and unique style for details unnoticed by most. The poem he loved and included as a parting college gift to each of his sons, "The Man in the Glass" says it all about how John Frank lived his life.
He is survived by his three adoring sisters, LaBet Sims Pritchard, Carley Sims Page, and DeMaris Sims as well as several nieces and nephews. He is also remembered fondly by his extended family and looked up to by his three boys for his strength of character and gentle, loving demeanor.
Due to the public health emergency, a celebration of John Frank’s life will be held at a later date. Memorial contributions can be made to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (https://donate.lls.org/lls/donate) or to Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (https://www.rzim.org/give).
"John Frank" was born April 2, 1958 in Columbus, MS, the fourth child and only son of the late Shields Sims and Elizabeth (Beth) Carley Sims, of Columbus. He attended S.D. Lee High School and earned a B.A. in Political Science from Mississippi State University.
Throughout his life he was a passionate duck and quail hunter in the ponds, sloughs, and cornfields of the Great State of Mississippi (as he called it). It was a proud moment when he became an Eagle Scout, and over the years, he often reminisced about his trip to the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. True to his sense of adventure, his endeavors took him around the country and abroad. When he moved to Maine after graduating from college, he worked for a local law firm and as an escrow administrator for Casco Northern Bank. There he met and married the former Tanya L. Kendrick on February 10, 1990. They lived in Virginia where he worked as a Network Administrator for Perspecta, Inc. proudly raising three sons - John Franklin Shields Sims III, Ethan Spencer Kendrick Sims, and Evan Nelson Chisholm Sims.
John Frank was a quiet, unassuming man, a gentle spirit, and a scholar of WWII and Civil War history. He spent countless hours in the fields and woods of the Manassas National Battlefield Park. Always a Bulldog, he was an avid fan of MSU football, never missing a televised game, and dared to cheer for the Washington Redskins. Watching the rocket launches from Cape Canaveral spurred his love of space and space exploration. John Frank was a great supporter of NASA and thrilled with the accomplishments of SPACEX, bringing us into a new age. He never missed the International Space Station flyovers as it flew in near orbit. He was a deep thinker, amazing inventor, voracious reader, and gifted wordsmith with an uncanny sense of humor and unique style for details unnoticed by most. The poem he loved and included as a parting college gift to each of his sons, "The Man in the Glass" says it all about how John Frank lived his life.
He is survived by his three adoring sisters, LaBet Sims Pritchard, Carley Sims Page, and DeMaris Sims as well as several nieces and nephews. He is also remembered fondly by his extended family and looked up to by his three boys for his strength of character and gentle, loving demeanor.
Due to the public health emergency, a celebration of John Frank’s life will be held at a later date. Memorial contributions can be made to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (https://donate.lls.org/lls/donate) or to Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (https://www.rzim.org/give).
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We are so sorry to learn of John Frank’s illness and passing. Please accept our deepest condolences and prayers for comfort, peace and strength during this difficult time. Ann Sims Fields
A candle was lit for the decedent.
Beautiful tribute to John Frank. Not having known him, I now have a good sense of who he was. I believe I would have liked him. Sending Love to all.
We are thinking of you and your family.
Maris – I am so sorry for the loss of your brother. I am in Fairfax County too and am thinking of you.
Our hearts and prayers to Tanya and all the Sims family. The Kerby’s have the most wonderful childhood memories of time spent with John Frank and his family. Love, Michael, Allen and Young Kerby
Heartbroken to hear of JFSS’s passing. He is one of the finest people I have ever met. I am indebted to him in so may ways. I will miss his friendship. I had looked forward to being old men together. Thinking of you Tanya and his sons. Austin