Fred J. Sims, Sr.

Fred J. Sims, 92, passed away on Monday, Jan. 20, 2020. He was the last of 12 siblings born to Presley and Wilma Rhodes Sims of Darlington, SC. Fred joined the Navy and retired and settled in the Tidewater area. He then retired from the Army Corp of Engineers, where he worked maintaining the Intracoastal Waterway and operating many bridges and locks, including Great Bridge. Fred loved the outdoors, the woods, and the water, having obtained his Captain’s license. He was an avid hunter and fisherman and was a member of the Isaac Walton League of America in Chesapeake for many years. He loved traveling to Charleston, SC and attending the Fiddler’s Convention. He was a 50 year mason, currently with the Great Bridge Lodge, and was also a Shriner at the Woodlake Temple in Chesapeake. He is predeceased by his wife, Melvina, the mother of his surviving children: Candy Callahan (Jimmy), Gay Wiggs (Bobby), and Fred J. Sims, Jr. (Kathryn); 7 grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren, along with many nieces and nephews. He is also predeceased by his second wife of many happy years, Margaret Moore Sims. Fred was a true Southern gentleman and on behalf of the Callahan, Wiggs, and Sims families, we wish to thank Beth Sholom and Freda Gordon Hospice for their compassion and wonderful care our father and family received. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Shriner's Hospital for Children, www.shrinershospitalsforchildren.org A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m., Tuesday Jan. 28, 2020 at Smith & Williams Funeral Home, where the family will receive friends following. You may offer condolences to the family at www.smithandwilliamskempsville.com.