Sarah Frances Sims

Sarah Frances Bean Sims was born in Topeka, KS to Gillus and Marjorie Bean and was the Third of their five children. She attended elementary and secondary school in Topeka, KS and excelled as a student and learned to play the piano, violin and viola. She remained lifelong friends with several of her high school classmates. On May 5, 1955, Sarah married Mack Ray Sims and had seven children: Louis Sims; Carolyn (Eric) Paige; Marjorie Sims; Mack R. Sims, Jr.; James Sims; Gilbert Sims and Laurie (Skipper) Kelp. As a military wife, Sarah moved often during the early years of their marriage. She established homes for her young in Sembach, Germany; Victorville, California; Dallas, TX; Bitburg, Germany, and Topeka, KS before moving to Las Vegas in 1966. Sarah was a stay-at-home mother until her youngest child entered kindergarten at which point she enrolled in the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and received a degree as a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) in 1970. She worked as a nurse for almost two decades. In 1989, Sarah left her successful nursing career to pursue another passion helping families with young children by starting her own business – Sarah’s Wee Ones – providing in-home daycare. She loved being known as ‘Grandma Sarah’ and nurturing the minds of infants and toddlers. Sarah operated her daycare for close to 30 years, retiring in 2013. She loved her large family unconditionally and will be remembered for her absolute love of the holiday season and preparing traditional Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. Sarah was very strong in her faith and love of the Lord, which was instilled at an early age by her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She read Bible passages daily and attended Victory Baptist Church for over 15 years. Sarah was a generous being with an enormous capacity to extend love and friendship to everyone she met. An avid sports fan, she was always rooting for the Kansas City Chiefs and was a UNLV Runnin’ Rebels season ticket holder. She amassed a unique collection of figurines that began with circus clowns, but grew to include angels, statuettes of African American jazz singers and children playing. She was the proud owner of every issue of Oprah magazine. Sarah is predeceased by her parents, her sons; Louis Sims and James Sims; and her brothers, William Bean, Robert Bean, and Sonny Bean. Sarah is survived by her husband of 60 years, Mack Ray Sims; children, Carolyn (Eric) Paige; Marjorie Sims; Mack R. Sims, Jr.; Gilbert Sims; Laurie (Skipper) Kelp; sisters, Marcella Ashford, Cheryl Bean and Phyllis Bean Johnson; 22 grandchildren; 21 great-grandchildren, and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and other relatives and friends. Loving, wise, compassionate, a good listener, beautiful inside and out – Sarah was all of these. Her family and friends will forever miss her. While our hearts are broken, her love and guidance remain.