Howard "H.B." Brooks Sims Jr.

Howard Brooks Sims, Jr., best known as H.B., was born in a house in the Virginia Highlands area of Atlanta, Georgia on December 18, 1924, exactly one week before Christmas. He wasn’t always excited to have a birthday so close to Christmas because many times his “special day” would be overshadowed by the holiday festivities and would be promised an “extra” present at Christmas time instead. He loved Christmas, though, and his first memory was of seeing a picture of Santa Claus with a bit of soot on his nose and remembers asking his father why Santa’s nose was dirty.He had 2 older siblings, a brother Robert and a sister, Margaret, 11 and 10 years older than he respectively, and a sister, Emma Jo, who was 18 months younger. During the depression, his family lost their home when his father’s salary was cut drastically, but a Masonic Lodge brother of my grandfather had a mansion on Memorial Drive that he allowed the family to rent. It was a great place for a precocious young boy and his siblings to explore, and he made toys out of any kind of scraps and odds and ends he could find. He was fascinated with kings and knights and anything royal, and his imagination took him on all kinds of great adventures. He attended Druid Hills Elementary School, and because they were outside the city school district, a neighbor would drive them to school. In his youth he was also a member of the Boy Scouts and as an adult served as a Scout Master. In 1948 he followed in his father’s footsteps and became a Freemason of the Scottish Rite, attaining the rank of 33rd Degree. Last fall he was honored with special recognition for being a Mason for 75 years.Eventually the family relocated to Clarkston, Georgia, buying a Craftsman house on 1 ½ acres that became the family estate. Their family was very involved in their church, Druid Hills Baptist, and after accepting Jesus as his Savior, H.B. was baptized by Dr. Louie Newton. They also attended Clarkston Baptist Church, and he graduated from Clarkston High School in 1942. At that time, World War II had broken out, and he was immediately volunteered and went into the Navy as a Medic. During his military career, he attended North Georgia College as a cadet, Georgia Tech, University of Miami, and was stationed in Paris Island and San Diego before being deployed to Japan where he served in Okinawa. By the time they arrived, however, the active fighting had ceased, but they were required to stay for a while afterward to keep peace. He had many adventures while there.After he was discharged, he worked in the ER as a Med Tech at Emory University Hospital with the intention to become a doctor. However, he later decided to pursue his other passions – history and art. He was an incredible artist, and did a lot of drafting, architectural drawings, intricate scrollwork, and painted beautiful pictures. He saw the world through the eyes of an artist, and he could find beauty in almost everything. He was even offered a scholarship at the Atlanta Art Institute but had to turn it down because of serving his military duties. He became a high school Social Studies and Social Science teacher for 38 years, teaching at West Fulton High School and Bass High School before going into administration for the Atlanta Public School System at the Instructional Service Center. He helped to write a textbook and was responsible for the first materials to honor Black History Month, as up to that time there was nothing in place. After retirement in 1986 he continued as a substitute teacher at Cross Keys High School, which he could have turned into a full-time job if he’d wanted to. He was truly a life-long learner and attained his T-9 Certification, the equivalent of a Doctorate (without a dissertation).In 1950, this red-headed girl, then a student at Agnes Scott College who also attended Clarkston Baptist Church (where they were both members and involved), had taken notice of H.B. Anne Winningham would take the bus back home after classes, and sometimes, if H.B. happened to be going that way, he’d give her a ride home. Anne got wise to when H.B. would be coming her way, and started making sure she was out there when he drove by. One day she asked him to accompany her to a college function, and the rest is history. They were married 5 years later. They would have celebrated their 69th anniversary this year.H.B.’s teaching career even included teaching on TV, but his career was interrupted by the birth of his daughter, Donna Lynn, born on their 5th wedding anniversary. Three years later, Howard Brooks Sims, III was born, and 4 years after that Gary Wayne Sims completed their family where they lived in Stone Mountain, Georgia. H.B and his family continued to be involved in church. He and several other families, once a part of Clarkston Baptist Church, founded Memorial Heights Baptist Church in Stone Mountain that later merged with Grant Park Baptist Church (to form Memorial Park Baptist). There he served as a deacon, Sunday School Superintendent, choir member, and wore many, many other hats. If the doors of the church were open, he and his family were always there. In 2000, they relocated to Lilburn, Georgia where they joined White Oak Baptist Church where they continue to serve and remain active members. He finally gave up his teaching career altogether when the grandbabies started to arrive. Charles Braden Sims, son of Gary and Tammy Sims, arrived in May of 1992, and Nathan Tyler Boyd arrived in October of that year, son of Donna and Bryce Boyd. Nathan became a big brother to Ryan Tanner Boyd in 1994, and Howard and Tammy Sims became the parents of Rachel Lynn (born in 1991) and Kayla Leann (born in 1994) in 1997. Finally, Andrew Thomas Boyd joined the passel of grandkids to finish up the bunch. H.B. loved children and took great delight when each one made their arrival. Most recently, Rachel and Brian Branch brought Brooks Everett into the family as a great grandchild, followed by Denver Leo, and Charlie and his wife Betzy added Sean and Joseph to the bunch. Nathan and Kristin Boyd will be adding Jackson Tate to the bunch, due in July, which we know he would have loved with the same intensity as the others. Every time a baby or child was around, H.B. would come alive! They added so much joy to his life.H.B. loved his family deeply and was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. He was very much loved and respected by his family, friends, and those privileged to know him. He was preceded in death by his parents, his brother and sisters, and a nephew. He is survived by his wife, Anne Sims, and their 3 children, 6 grandchildren, 4 great-grandsons, and 7 nephews.The funeral service to celebrate the life of Howard Brooks Sims, Jr., will be held on Monday, March 25, 2024 at 11:00 AM at White Oak Baptist Church, Lilburn, Ga. Interment will follow at Melwood Cemetery, Stone Mountain, GA. The family will receive friends on Sunday, March 24, 2024 from 2:00 PM until 5:00 PM at the funeral home.In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider a donation to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta - Scottish Rite at https://give.choa.org .Condolences may be sent or viewed at www.wagesfuneralhome.com. Tom M. Wages Funeral Service, A Family Company, 3705 Highway 78 West, Snellville, GA 30039 (770-979-3200) has been entrusted with the arrangements.Read Obituary