Horace E. Sims Obituary (1926 - 2015)

Captain Horace Edgar Sims "Bud" May 20, 1926 - January 21, 2015 Our beloved Bud, husband, father and friend passed in the arms of his love and wife, Nettie Sims on January 21st, 2015, they were cheek to cheek. Bud was born in Seattle, May 20th 1926. His parents lived in Victoria, Canada but while visiting Seattle, he decided to make his appearance. This allowed him a dual citizenship under unique circumstances. In so many ways, he was a citizen of the world, having explored the world in ways most of us can only dream of. He was brilliant and ambitious from the start. He had many careers during his young life; he enlisted in the Navy during WWll and spent much of his time in the classroom since he tested in the top percentile for IQ. Once the war was over he worked a variety of jobs, he drove a semi truck for a meat packing plant navigating the mountain passes of Washington state during the winters, worked for the Post Office, was an Armored Guard for a money transport system and worked on a train for the Southern Pacific Railroad and spent a few years as a Broker.. But his final and most beloved job,or really passion where he spent most of his life was on merchant ships and super tankers in the Merchant Marines. He started his career as an Able Seaman in 1946 until his last voyage in 1984 as Master Captain, retiring at the age of 58. His aptitude and continued thirst for knowledge moved him through the ranks quickly until he was licensed as a Master Captain (scoring one of the highest test scores in Merchant Marine history) that allowed him to sail any body of water, with any vessel and any cargo, a rare and honorable designation to achieve. He loved everything about the Sea and traveled around the world many times. He was loved by everyone that met him. Being his children during our growing years, all of our friends wanted to spend time at our house, because they loved being around him and his funny sense of humor. We had the "cool" dad. He was truly magnetic to everyone. He could relate and converse with anyone person of any age. He used to answer the door "You rang?" like Lurch, from the Adams Family (which was one of his favorite shows) and everyone loved him. And what a sense of humor he had. He had so many stories to share about sailing in the oceans and visiting other countries, he made friends everywhere he went to include the line in the grocery store, getting gas or with the teller at the bank. His blue eyes and handsome features caught the eye of our Nettie as he pursued her after meeting her at the bank. Always the debonair gentleman, his opening line to Nettie was to ask her who mowed her yard, it was his way of asking if she was married. That lead them to a 32 year love affair. Bud constantly read and was addicted to the written word which he passed on to his children. His love for classical music started at a young age when his grandmother would require the family to dress up (suit and tie) on Sundays and they would sit in the parlor and listen to classical music, an appreciation he passed on to his children. When he was home from sea, we would go into the living room after dinner and lay on the floor, close our eyes and listen to classical music and he would give us a quarter when we could identify the composer. He had many other passions including, ice cream, dogs, books, telling a good story, laughter and his family. He loved to have family around him; he basked in the presence of those he loved to be close by. He made our family complete. He loved to laugh and loved to make others laugh. He was our Dick Van Dyke. Silly, funny and witty. He had a large passion for knowledge, and believed in continuously educating himself and those around him. He never took a break from learning and self-educating himself. In his later years he would work on trigonometry and calculus quizzes in the privacy of his study to keep his mind sharp. He loved to learn and the challenge it provided. It was another passion. He was our rock, our idol, our icon and a gift to our lives. He was our navigator, our beacon in the night and the day and our compass in life. He was our guide of the rules to live by in every moment. To respect others and earn respect. He taught us a very strong work ethic but was soft in his heart for the love of us all. He was a gift to all that met him. We know you are now navigating the other Angels, and are now their beacon and compass. Please do rest in peace in heaven, and take it easy. Remember, don't cause too much havoc up there in heaven, the other Angels need rest now and then too! Until we are all together again, we will carry your heart, inside of our hearts. Our love to you dear Father, Friend and Love. In your words, "Bye bye for now".