James Curtis Simms' Obituary
James Curtis Simms of Dover, Delaware was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1953 to Ann Lewis and Owen Laster, and soon adopted by his paternal aunt and uncle, Alice and James Simms, Philadelphia, where he lived until entering the United States Air Force.
He attended Catholic schools throughout his childhood and graduated from Roman Catholic High School, Philadelphia, in 1971.
Jim served the United States Air Force over a span of 21 years and retired as a Captain in 1994. His tour of duties included service in Delaware, Illinois, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Texas, Guam, and Saudi Arabia.
Jim earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with majors in philosophy and cultural anthropology from Cabrini College, Philadelphia. He earned a Master of Human Relations degree from Oklahoma University and earned his Master of Arts in clinical psychology at West Chester University in 1995 where he studied psychodrama.
Jim was a National Certified Counselor and Licensed Professional Counselor while working for the State of Delaware and was also a certified Emergency Preparedness Instructor and a Crisis Negotiation Team Leader for the Delaware Department of Corrections. When he retired in 2019, he was the Treatment Administrator at James T. Vaughn Correctional Center in Smyrna, Delaware.
Jim met his soulmate, Linda Susan Wright, in 1991, when he joined the handbell choir at Dover Presbyterian church where Linda held a part time job, conducting the handbell choir. Their friendship soon developed, and they married on January 28, 1992, the night before Jim left for his Saudi Arabia tour of duty.
One evening, while Jim was in Saudi, he shared with Linda that he felt strongly about having a child together. It took some convincing, but after losing one infant baby girl who they named Hope, they delivered the joy of their lives, Nathan Owen Simms.
While Nathan was studying at Salisbury University, Maryland, he met Taylor Garner who was quickly regarded as a daughter to Jim.
Jim is also survived by his very special companion and “therapy dog”, Sebastian who has provided endless hours of affection up to the very end of Jim’s life. Jim tolerated the family cats, Sam, and Frodo.
Jim was proud of his Philly roots. He loved trains and loved “riding the rails” at an early age. When he was about 7 years old, he caught the subway train from North Philadelphia to Center City where his adopted mother worked at Strawbridge & Clothiers. She was in complete shock when he showed up to see her by himself.
Upon Linda’s founding of Capital Ringers, Inc.in 2004, Jim quickly became her greatest supporter, while developing multimedia presentations to support the community handbell ensemble. He was meticulous about providing the best images (still and video) to evoke emotional reactions out of audience members. Jim matched Linda’s passion for handbells, devoting endless hours of time to develop each show.
Jim truly found joy in experiencing life with his family. He loved seeing theatrical productions and concerts with Linda, taking road-trips to various wineries and places of historical significance, and enjoying extended vacations to coastal Maine.
Throughout his life, Jim loved science fiction, fantasy, and philosophy. He loved a story of good triumphing over evil and tried to base many of his own principles on the lessons of his favorite tales. He was passionate about Star Wars, Star Trek, superheroes, and so much more. More so, Jim loved sharing those passions with a young Nathan, and they continued to share those passions until his final days.
His memories will forever live in those friends and family members who respected his intellect and loved his sense of humor.
A memorial service will be held at Traders Funeral Home, 12 Lotus Street, Dover, Delaware, on Saturday, December 16 at 2:00PM. Friends may visit with the family at 1:00PM.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Compassionate Care Hospice in Jim’s name. The compassionate work that these individuals provided to Jim is appreciated beyond words.
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