06/18/2026
Willis "Willie" James Sims was born June 23, 1917, in Fowler, Benton County, Indiana, to Chester Clark and Cora Frances (Rubrake) Sims. Cora was a native of South Whitley. Willie was a year younger than his older brother, Donald Clark Sims.
Just weeks after his first birthday, on July 2, 1918, Willie's father died of tuberculosis, leaving his mother a widow with two toddlers. They were living in Goodland, Newton County, Indiana, at the time of his death.
By 1925, Willie and Donald's mother had remarried to Orval T. Sanson, a boilermaker for the Pennsylvania Railroad and they were living in Fort Wayne on South Wayne Avenue.
By 1930, the Sanson and Sims family had moved to Cleveland Township in Whitley County and were farming. Willie had also gained two younger half-brothers named Richard, age 4, and Russell, age 2.
At the age of 18, on September 9, 1935, he married Geraldine Francis Cunningham in Huntington, Indiana. Ivan R. Holloway officiated the ceremony. Following the ceremony, the couple planned to live in South Whitley. They would eventually have four daughters and five sons. They lived and farmed just east of South Whitley on SR 14.
In 1940, the Sims were living near Roanoke in Huntington County and farming with two young daughters. Additionally, William J. Harshman, an 81-year-old widowed grandfather, was living with them as well.
On June 9, 1945, Willis enlisted in the US Army. He was discharged on December 20, 1945.
Following the war and up until 1950, he worked as a mill hand in a rubber goods factory.
In addition to farming, in 1950, Willis began working as a janitor for South Whitley's schools and by 1957, he was the head custodian. Willis was a familiar face in the halls of the schools for several decades.
After a brief illness, Geraldine died at 3 a.m. on December 21, 1961, at the Whitley County Hospital. She was just 42. She was buried in South Whitley Cemetery.
In the years after her death, Willie continued on, working as a custodian, farming, supporting his children in their activities and being a grandfather.
At the age of 76, after suffering a heart attack, Willis died at Parkview Memorial Hospital in Fort Wayne on April 8, 1994. He was buried with Geraldine in South Whitley Cemetery.
