George Wendell Sims

George Wendell Sims, 80 of Louisville, passed away Wednesday, February 4, 2026. He was born May 10, 1945 to the late Lealus and Anna Godbey Sims. He was a 1963 graduate from Henry County High School, where he played Varsity Basketball.

Military Service: George proudly served his country in the U.S. Army from September 1967 to May 1969. Originally bound for Vietnam, he was reassigned to Korea after the USS Pueblo incident.

George had a thirst for knowledge and obtained multiple degrees including: a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering Management from the J. B. Speed Scientific School at the University of Louisville, an Associate’s Degree from Sullivan University in Computer Programming and Accounting, and a year of math at Eastern Kentucky. He also completed 95% of an MBA from the University of Louisville Graduate School of Business.

His education went further than degrees though, George took miscellaneous courses, seminars and webinars; topics included: psychology, human behavior, traditional business marketing, franchising, network/affiliate marketing, internet marketing, and business management.

His career began at Winston & Associates where he worked in Engineering and among other projects, designed a portion of an expressway and a subdivision.

George went on to work at Western Pioneer Life as an Agency Director where he was responsible for creating, training and managing sales forces of approximately 350 agents and 20 field managers which marketed insurance and mutual fund products.

From there he became a Franchise Owner and Marketing Executive at NCN, Inc., and purchased this four-state franchise to market discounted long-distance phone service.

Later in his career, George was President and Owner of Besco, Inc, marketing health and life policies through multiple companies.

He was a Marketing Manager for Ultra, Inc., and at Waddell & Reed, Inc., George worked as a Recruiter and Training Manager.

In 2010, George created The Louisville Mastermind Group. A colleague described The Louisville Mastermind as “more than a weekly meeting. It was a circle of driven individuals committed to learning, growing and lifting one another up. Founded by George and Kevin Elliott in 2010, the group embodied the idea that success is amplified when shared with others who hold common goals. Through our time together, we expanded our businesses, strengthened our character, and built lasting friendships. George led with compassion and purpose, caring deeply for every member and the path they were walking. He was our rock.”

George was also passionate about his volunteer work with Friends for Life, a Cancer Support Network and Sailing for a Cure focusing on children battling leukemia.

In his spare time, George was an avid sailor and boater. He was a member of the Derby City Sailing Club. George and his wife Debbie enjoyed restoring boats and traveling the waterways. They spent several wonderful years living aboard their boats in Kingfisher Bay Marina, Demopolis, Ala, and in Bay Springs Marina, New Site, Mississippi. George also enjoyed helping other boaters figure out the best way to solve a mechanical or engineering problem or any other dilemma that could arise 'working on boats'.

In addition to his parents, he is preceded in death by two of his brothers-in-law: Marvin Moore and Robert Renaker; and his mother-in-law: Wilma Valentine.

Left to cherish George’s memory are his beloved wife: Debra Stamper Sims; his children: Brian Sims (Audra) of New Smyrna Beach, FL, Jennifer Sims of Louisville, KY, Angela Tonini-Rogers (DeWayne) of Louisville, KY, Christina McCarthy (Brian) of Doylestown, PA, and Rob Tonini of Louisville, KY; his grandchildren: Devan Sims, Lali Sims, Aiya Sims, Reid Sims, Clayton Tonini-Rogers, Elijah Tonini-Rogers, Bryson Tonini-Rogers, Anna McCarthy, Aidan McCarthy, Madeline McCarthy, Caitlin McCarthy, and Mary Grace McCarthy; his sisters: Marilyn Moore of Pleasureville, KY, Reva Renaker of Sulphur, KY, and Carolyn Jo Anderson (William) of Richmond, KY; 3 aunts; and many nieces, nephews, great and great-great nieces and nephews.

A Memorial Service will be held Saturday, February 21, 2026, at Arch L Heady at Resthaven, 4400 Bardstown Rd, Louisville, KY 40218. Visitation will be prior to the service from 11-2 PM at the funeral home with a Memorial service to be held in the Chapel at 2PM. George will be laid to rest privately at Resthaven Memorial Park.