(Great) Grandma & Poppa Sims

I want to tell you a little bit about your Great Grandpa.  I knew him as Poppa.  Poppa Sims was your Poppy Steve’s dad.  He went to heaven on January 28, 2011.  I caught myself thinking a lot about him this weekend as I was cleaning out the tool shed behind our house and cutting new shelves for the work benches, so I thought it would be an appropriate time to tell you about him.

Your Great Poppa Sims was an awesome man.  He could light up the room with his big smile, with or without his teeth in.  You see your Poppa Sims had dentures and one of his favorite tricks was to take them out and mess with us kids.   I honestly cannot think of a time that he wasn’t trying to make someone smile or laugh.  It didn’t matter the time or place, Poppa Sims was always acting goofy and he honestly didn’t care who saw as long as one of us was laughing or smiling.

                                      

Poppa Sims also instilled in me the importance of family and taking care of the ones you love.  Everything he did in his life was for the good of his family whether it was working multiple jobs or always lending a helping hand when one of us needed it.  His love and devotion to the family and his undeniable love for your Great Grandma Sims showed me what it really meant to love and cherish family.

Some of my fondest memories of him are working on my truck and the times he would show me how to work on things.  I remember going to his house on a few occasions when I didn’t have the necessary tools to get a job done and walking out with the tools I needed and about 15 additional ones that he wanted me to have.  This is the reason I thought of Poppa Sims this weekend as I was working in the shed.

I would give anything for you and your Mom to have met Poppa Sims.  He was a truly great man and he married an equally great woman in your Great Grandma Sims.  She is the kindest most loving person you will ever meet in your life. 

Your Great Grandma Sims is the rock of your Poppy Steve’s side of the family.  Her strength has given us a since of calm during some very trying times in our lives. 

I love to go and visit Grandma Sims whenever we are in Burk.  We like to talk and catch up during our visits.  The smile on her face whenever I walk in the door always brings a light to my life no matter what is going on.  Besides talking we like to watch the Discovery ID channel.  Spending time with Grandma is one of my favorite things to do and bringing joy to her life, if only for a couple hours, makes me happy.

             

The qualities Grandma and Grandpa Sims helped instill in me are valuable lessons that I will be able to pass on to you one day.  They provided awesome examples of what it means to love unconditionally. 

Love, Dad