Obituary of Norvella Durkee Sims

Obituary of Norvella Sims Norvella Durkee Sims was born April 19, 1929 in Rusk County, Texas to James Adolphus Durkee and Rodger Dixon Durkee. She grew up in a loving and close knit family that included seven sisters and one brother. She attended Hill High School in Henderson, Texas. She graduated from Bishop College in Marshall, Texas with a B.A. in English. There she met and married Jerry Milan Sims, her husband of over 60 years. To that union was born a daughter, Deborah. She and her family moved to Terrell, Texas where her husband was employed as a school teacher. She worked as a homemaker and a stay-at-home mom. She and her family moved to Dallas, Texas in the early 1960s where she became a full time school teacher for DISD. She worked first at Pearl C. Anderson Middle School and subsequently at Benjamin Franklin Middle School, Nathan Adams and Stevens Park Elementary School where she was named "Teacher of the Year" in 1990. She earned a Master’s in Education from Dallas Baptist University in 1987. She was a dedicated and inspiring educator. She retired from DISD in 1994. After retiring she enjoyed traveling around the globe. Her travels included trips to Asia, Europe and the Holy Land. She also volunteered at the African American Museum as a Docent. She also was an active member of New Hope Baptist Church, Dallas, Texas for over 50 years. During that time she was a Deaconess, and served on the Fidelia Usher Board and American Baptist Women’s Ministry. She also was a member of the Priscilla Art Club. She was preceded in death by her parents, her sisters Emma Lois Durkee, Nadine Wells, Mildred Orelle Anthony, Erma Faye Davis, and Doris Durkee Taylor, brother Curtis Durkee and niece Joyce Fite. Left to cherish her memory are her husband, Jerry Sims, her daughter, Dr. Deborah Sims Anderson, her son-in-law, Edmond Anderson, sisters Marion Johnson (San Antonio) and Shirley Logan (Dallas), and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.