Dr. Marie-Therese Simms, a native of Dominica, West Indies, passed away on Sunday, March 7, 2021 at the age of 62 years old. She was born on October 2, 1958 (she continually convinced her daughters that she is 16 years old and would never budge from that claim). She was preceded in death by her father Felix Beaupierre and her sister, Agnes Beaupierre. She is survived by her loving and devoted husband, Leroy H. Simms who she met at Jamaica School of Agriculture in 1979 and then emigrated to America in August of 1982. She is also survived her daughters, Dannielle-Mahree Simms and Lesli-Elsie Cree Simms whom she not only loved immensely, but also provided unwavering support for.
If anyone knows Dr. Simms, they know more than ever how important education is to her and she practiced what she preached. Dr. Simms attended Clifton Dupiny High School in Dominica and graduated in 1977. From there, she attended the Jamaica School of Agriculture where she met Leroy Simms, a senior, who would ultimately become her amazing husband. The two married on June 3, 1983 in New York.
They moved to Prairie View, Texas in August of 1983, and enrolled at Prairie View A&M University where she received a Bachelor of Science in Animal Science in 1984. In 1988, she received her Master of Science in Biology from Prairie View. On March 7, 1987, the two became parents for the first time of their daughter, Dannielle-Mahree Simms. Ultimately, the couple settled in Houston, Texas, where they have lived ever since. On June 21, 1991, their family became complete, when Dr. Simms gave birth to their daughter (and Dannielle’s baby sister), Lesli-Elsie Cree Simms.
After working odd jobs at Stop and Go and even a shoe store, Dr. Simms found her passion for teaching and taught at North Brook Middle School for many years, touching the lives of many young people. She always wanted more and went for it, so in 2003 Dr. Simms received her Doctoral Degree in Education from Texas Southern University. She taught at Houston Community College from January 2000 to June 2019. Ever the worker bee, she also taught at Blinn Community College, Cy-fair Community College, and her alma mater Prairie View A&M University. While working hard, she not only raised her girls, but she helped her husband while he attended law school and ultimately got her girls through law school as well at Thurgood Marshall School of Law.
My mother is the definition of selfless and amazing. She was always giving and would do whatever she could to see others succeed. She was a nurturer. She could see the good in people even when they could not see it. My mom not only molded us into the women we are today, but she made sure we always knew that we could do anything. She never did anything small. She always did everything with her whole self. A woman who looked forward to Christmas every year just so she could win yard of the year which she did almost routinely. She is a woman who loved decorating so much that one could never walk through the house in the dark because the entire layout could have been changed with just one trip to Home Goods.
She never took no for an answer. Her thought in life was “you said no? Watch me”. That is how she lived her life and that is what we will cherish most about her. My mother was always there to lean on, no matter what. Whenever we doubted ourselves or panicked, we were always met with a “get over it, you can do it”. She always did “it”. No matter what it was, she did it and always to the fullest. One can only hope to have an ounce of her courage and strength. She always danced and hoped we danced. We will dance Mom.
We miss you Mommy. We would give anything to have more time with you, but you prepared us for life, and we have no choice but to honor you. We will honor you. Please look over us, protect us, and every now and then remind us who is boss. We know you are here; we know you are near, and we cannot wait to show you everything you taught us to be. Please especially make sure you are looking over dad, who lives you more than you can ever know. He is doing a good job taking care of us girls, so need to worry about us.
MISSING YOU ALWAYS
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens.
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance.
And when you get the choice, to sit it out or dance.
I hope you dance (Dance)
I hope you dance (Dance)
I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance.
Never settle for the path of least resistance.
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