Victoria "Vicki" Sims

Victoria "Vicki" Magoon was born August 15, 1944 in Alabama while her father, Maj. Harold C. Magoon, was serving as a flight instructor training Tuskegee Airmen; her mother, born Mary Eugenia Thompson, worked as a social worker prior to her marriage. Vicki grew up in Buffalo, New York. According to Tallahassee police, Victoria Magoon Sims died in Tallahassee, Florida, as a result of homicide on June 13, 2020. She was pre-deceased by her parents and her sister Mary Scot Magoon. She is survived by a brother Al Magoon of Buffalo, and, in Tallahassee, daughters June Campos (William Letts) and Brenda Campos (Sunny Reed). Her six grandchildren were the lights of her life – Mary, Roland, Desiree, Makaela, Caroline, Rusty. She also leaves many cousins, most of them in Alabama, who loved her dearly.

After completing her B.S. degree from Tulane University and M.S. at LSU, Vicki worked for the state of Louisiana while pursuing doctoral research in industrial psychology. After moving to Tallahassee in 1985, she was first employed by HRS’s Aging and Adult Services Office, then was a Medical/Healthcare Program Analyst at the Agency for Health Care Administration after which, until 2009, she was a Consultant at the Department of Elder Affairs; as a state worker, she was a member of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Union where she continued to participate as a retiree. Before full retirement, she worked for the Florida Health Care Administration.

Vicki Sims was an advocate for older Americans; among the organizations she spent her energy on were AARP, where she was a long-time committed volunteer, and Second Harvest Food Bank. Vicki loved music and sang with the groups Sweet Adelines, Voces Angelorum, and Threshold Choir International. She also supported local musicians and cultural events by attending many performances. In addition to her service, Vicki did her homework as a citizen and was actively engaged in public affairs. She was active in the Village Square discussion group that explored solutions to societal problems by discussion, even clashing of opinions. Vicki participated in activities of organizations related to the Democratic Party and she worked for candidates at the local and national levels who represented her values.

Likely her service which was dearest to her was through the United Methodist Church – in Tallahassee at St. Paul’s, John Wesley, and for many recent years at Tallahassee Heights United Methodist Church where she was their Lay Delegate to the denomination’s regional Annual Meeting. Two church activities she continued during the coronavirus pandemic were teaching the Kairos adult Sunday School Class (via Zoom) and working on the cooking crew for their Farm Share food distribution program. Unusual for a woman in her 70s, she went to Guatemala in 2019 on a several-church building mission; her job was assisting the medical team.

Culley’s Meadow Wood Funeral Home is handling the arrangements. The funeral is scheduled for Friday June 26 at 2 pm; it will be outdoors around Bradley's Pond located across from Bradley’s Country Store. Masks and Social Distancing are expected. Memorial contributions may be made to the work of Tallahassee Heights Methodist Church https://www.tallyheightsumc.com, or Second Harvest of the Big Bend https://fightinghunger.org.