William G. Simms

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, January 5, 2011

William Grant Simms, 88, died at 11:27 a.m. Jan. 4, 2011, at Greenview Regional Hospital.

The Roanoke, Va., native was born March 11, 1922. He was a retired safety director from St. Meinrad Archabbey in St. Meinrad, Ind. He was a Catholic, a World War II Army Air Corps veteran and enlisted in the National Guard in 1939. He became part of the 29th Division of Bedford, Va. After officers candidate school in 1942 at Camp Breckenridge, he trained to fly the B-17 and B-29 for the Army Air Corps. In 1943, he bought and operated Bill and Fran’s Place in Troy, Ind. They owned the tavern for 26 years before selling it and moving to Tell City, Ind. He was the circuit court clerk and appointed Fran his deputy. Upon retirement they moved and lived in Florida and the last 10 years lived in Bowling Green. He was a son of the late Clarence Foster Simms and Minnie Kitts Simms. He was preceded in death by a son, William Grant Simms Jr.; two daughters, Mary Jane Harding and Jennifer Carole Simms; and several brothers and sisters.

Memorial Mass is at noon Friday at Holy Spirit Catholic Church, with a private family burial in Troy. Visitation is from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday at J.C. Kirby & Son Funeral Home, Lovers Lane chapel. There is no visitation on Friday and family and friends will gather at the church at 11:30 a.m. for the Mass at noon.

Expressions of sympathy may take the form of contributions to Holy Spirit Catholic Church Building Fund, 4754 Smallhouse Road, Bowling Green, KY 42104.

Survivors include his wife of 67 years, Frances Bacon Simms; three daughters, Phyllis Sims of Longwood, Fla., Sara Finan and her husband, Rich, of Louisville, and Camille Drobocky and her husband, Dr. Oles Drobocky, of Bowling Green; two sons, Joseph Simms and his wife, Kristen, of Evansville, Ind., and Brian Simms and his wife, Susan, of Lake Forest, Ill.; 12 grandchildren, Carrie Larrson, Walter Lee Simms Jr., Philip Harding Jr., Kristen Walsh, David Harding, Grant Simms, Connor Simms, Macklin Simms, Olivea Simms, Zenon Drobocky, Dane Drobocky and Ivan Drobocky; two stepgrandsons, Travis Zaro and Jimmy Finan; a stepgranddaughter, Chrissy Bowman; nine great-grandchildren; a sister; and several nieces and nephews.