Born on January 10, 1929 in Myers town, Pennsylvania, Dr. Simes was a graduate of Franklin & Marshall College and, in 1954, the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. From 1955-1966, Dr. Simes was an officer in the United States Air Force, finishing his Air Force days as a Major. As a flight surgeon and an Ob/Gyn at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama, he served those stationed at the United States Air War College. He also served as a consulting physician for six other Air Force bases in Georgia and Florida. Between his stints of active duty, Dr. Simes completed a residency at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland from 1957-1961, where he was selected by the faculty to serve as Chief Resident during his final year.
After his retirement from military service, Dr. Simes settled in Daytona Beach and began his private practice career in partnership with Dr. Charles Stump. Between 1966 and 1996, Dr. Simes, alongside his beloved wife, Patsy, provided obstetric, gynecologic, and infertility care to thousands of women in Volusia County. In the Daytona Beach medical community, Dr. Simes was a pioneer; he was the first physician to perform a number of now-common procedures, including laparoscopy, and he was the first obstetrician to invite fathers into the delivery room. Over his long career, Dr. Simes delivered approximately 10,000 babies and assisted countless others in starting families.
Dr. Simes served as the Chief of Staff at both Halifax Hospital and Humana Hospital. He was a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. As a testament to the global reach of his work, Dr. Simes was also honored as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine in the United Kingdom and as a Life Member of the Medical Society of Vienna. Upon his retirement in 1996, Dr. Simes was presented with a Lifetime Service Award by the Volusia County Medical Society.
During his life, Dr. Simes was a member of both St. James Episcopal Church in Ormond Beach and, in recent years, of St. Luke's Anglican Church in Port Orange.
In addition to his devoted wife of more than 40 years, Patsy, Dr. Simes is survived by: his daughter, Marjorie Simes Miller; his son, David W. Simes; his son, Clay Taylor; and his son, Michael L. Simes. He is also survived by his brother (Jim), nine grandchildren (Amy, Lauren, Sara, Cliff, Bryce, Haley, Brooke, Grant, and Ella), and one great-grandson (Nicholas).
A celebration of the life of Dr. Simes will take place on Saturday, March 9, 2013 at Volusia Memorial Funeral Home in Ormond Beach. A visitation period will begin at 10:30 a.m., with a service to follow at 11:30. His family asks that, in lieu of flowers, a donation be made to Halifax Hospice of Volusia/Flagler (www.hovf.org). Condolences may be shared with the family online at www.volusiamemorialfunerals.com Arrangements are under the care and trust of Volusia Memorial Funeral Home, 548 N. Nova Rd., Ormond Beach, FL
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