John "Don" Sims

John “Don” Sims, 82

John “Don” Sims of Lake Wales passed away Sunday, March 28, 2021 at Forsythe Hospice House in Auburndale.

He was born January 22, 1939 in Atlanta, Georgia to the late John Sims and Eunice Sims; he moved to Lake Wales from Tampa in 1972. Don was a retired Human Resources Director at Florida’s Natural Growers, Inc., and was a member of First Baptist Church of Lake Wales. He served in the United States Air Force during the Vietnam era for eight years. Don was a Past President of the Kiwanis Club and a Past President of the Lake Wales Care Center.

Don is survived by his wife of 34 years, Becky Sims; daughters, Chris (Kim) Sims of Leland, North Carolina, Dee (JC) Crowder of Winter Haven, Shelley (Blake) Bowlin of Daytona Beach, and Krista (Keith) Thompson of Lake Wales; sister, Nancy (Jim) Hirsch of Englewood; grandchildren, Melissa (Adam) Weatherford, Kaley Sutton, Brett Usry, Christopher Sutton, Abigail (Nick) Kemick , Levi Bowlin, and Becca (Joel) Flaming; and great-grandchildren, Lane and Luke Weatherford.

A visitation will be held from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m., Wednesday, March 31, 2021 at the Marion Nelson Funeral Home in Lake Wales. A funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m., Thursday, April 1, 2021 at the First Baptist Church of Lake Wales with a visitation from 10:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Alzheimer’s Disease Research (www.alz.org) or to the First Baptist Church of Lake Wales (www.fbclw.com).