William Mickey Sims

SERVICES: 10:00 AM Monday, November 30, 2009, at Carmichael-Whatley Colonial Chapel, with Glen Walton, minister of Bell Avenue Church of Christ of Amarillo, officiating. Military honors are courtesy of U. S. Army, Fort Hood, Texas. Bill will be cremated following this celebration.BIOGRAPHY: Mr. Sims was born March 2, 1923 in DePew, Oklahoma to William McKinley and Priscilla Rector Sims. After traveling to and from California with his family as a young boy, he was reared southwest of Lefors where he attended school and graduated in 1942. Upon graduation, as many patriotic young men did at that time, he proudly joined the U. S. Army. During his tour in World War II, Bill was a D-Day invader and served in combat and in the signal corps in the European Theater where he many times strung communications wire ahead of advancing troops. He received the EAME Campaign Medal with 5 Bronze Stars, the American Theater Campaign Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, the Victory Ribbon, 1 Service Stripe, and 3 Overseas Service Bars.After the war, Bill, along with his brother Howard, attended Coyne Electrical School in Chicago where they learned their trades for life. Upon completing this line of training, they returned to the panhandle of Texas.Bill married Christine LaVelle Rossmiller on July 18, 1947 in Borger. They remained happily married for 41 years until her untimely passing after a battle with leukemia in 1989.Bill worked for T. M. Brooks and Strawberry Radcliff as an electrician, alternating back and forth between the two different companies, which were often competing for his services. In 1954, he went into a partnership in Trail Electric and worked there until 1957 when he, along with his wife, opened Sims Electric in the Garage of their home. He owned and operated the company until his retirement in March of 1988.Bill was a fiddle player and occasionally sat in with Bob Wills when Bob would be playing clubs in the area. Bill learned music from his mom and dad. The Sims family had, for a while, a radio show on KPDN in the 1930's and 1940's.He and LaVelle served as the presidents of the Pampa High School Band Boosters from 1970-1972. He was a lifetime member of VFW Post #1657 of Pampa.SURVIVORS: 3 sons: Greg Sims and wife Judy of Amarillo, Mickey Sims of Bracey, Virginia, and Randy Sims and wife Sue of Sunray; daughter: Sandra Boales of Pampa; 8 grandchildren: David, Bryan, Angie, Jennifer, Polly, McKinley, Ross and Callie; several great-grandchildren; sister-in-law: Ruth Sims of Pampa; 2 brothers: Harold Sims and wife Jeanne of Lefors, and Wayne Sims and wife Donna of Pampa; many nieces and nephews; the staff and residents of the Ussery-Roan Texas State Veterans Home; staff of BSA Hospice, and a special friend Ginger Eaton and her family. Bill was preceded in death by his parents; a brother Howard, and numerous other family members and good friends. MEMORIALS: BSA Hospice, P.O. Box 950, Amarillo, Texas 79105, Pampa High School Band Boosters, 111 East Harvester, Pampa, Texas 79065, Pampa Optimist Club, P.O. Box 802, Pampa, Texas 79066-0802, The Hali Project, Inc., 26551 Newton Road, Canyon, Texas 79015, or High Plains Children's Home, 11461 S. Western, Amarillo, Texas 79118, or to a favorite charity.