Ellen Sims Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Ellen Vieter Sims, 87, passed away on Sunday, July 16, 2017 at her home in Brookdale Northwest Hills in Austin, TX. She was born on September 30, 1929 in Metuchen, New Jersey. Ellen grew up in Metuchen and graduated from Caldwell College with a degree in English. She also did some post-graduate work at Rutgers. At the age of 23 she decided to see the world and applied as a teacher in Italy. She taught in Livorno, Italy for several years and then moved to Germany to teach. There she met Edward E. Sims, Jr. in a night club and on their second date he proposed. They were married three months later in Basel, Switzerland. In 1960 they returned to the states and moved to Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington, D.C. where she taught second grade. In 1972 they moved to Auburndale, FL where they owned Lovey's Flowers and in 1974 moved to Winter Haven, FL. After a brief retirement, they got their real estate licenses in 1978 and opened Ambassador Real Estate. During her time in real estate, she was President of the Winter Haven Board of Realtors, President of the Women's Council of Realtors and District 10 Vice President of the Florida Association of Realtors. She was also a long-time member of St. Joseph's Catholic Church and a member of the Camellia Garden Club. She moved to Houston, TX in 1999 and moved to Austin, TX in 2013. She loved to read and her sense of humor was appreciated by all. Ellen is predeceased by her spouse Edward E. Sims of Winter Haven, FL and by her son, Kevin Sims of Cocoa Beach, FL. She is survived by her daughter, Tina Sims, of Austin, TX. A funeral service will be held at St. Theresa Catholic Church, 4311 Small Drive, Austin, TX at 1 p.m. on Thursday, July 20th. Burial will be held at Rolling Hills Cemetery in Winter Haven, FL. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made to Divinecanines.org, 2407 S. Congress Avenue, Suite E-401, Austin TX 78704. Condolences may be left on Ellen V. Sims' online guest book at distinctivelife.com

Ellen Sims

September 30, 1929 - July 16, 2017