Mary H. Sims

Dr. Mary Hughes Sims, Ph.D., May 1948 – May 2021

Dr. Mary H. Sims, Ph.D.,73 of Indianapolis, IN known as Mom, Moma, Nita, Doc, Professor Sims, and ‘Mary’ was the proud mother of two sons, Kerry and Keith Sims, grandmother of 5 grandchildren, friend to many others who passed through her life as neighbors, students, and colleagues. Mary was unexpectedly called home to our Lord on May 22nd, 2021 at her home.

Mary was born May 14th, 1948, in Birmingham, Alabama to Charlie and Ludie Hughes. She was preceded in death by both her parents, her sister Peggy Jane Hughes of Gardendale, Alabama and her nephew Daniel Ajlouny of Hoover, AL.

She attended the University of Alabama before becoming a dedicated mother to her two sons, Kerry Sims of Denver, Colorado, and Keith Sims of Carmel, Indiana. When her sons reached school age, she resumed her education with an ambitious goal and undaunted passion. She earned her Associate’s Degree from Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio, completed her B.A. in English Literature at the College of Charleston, Charleston, South Carolina, earned her M.A. in English Literature at Wright State University, in Dayton, Ohio and graduated from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana with her Ph.D. in English Literature in 1999. Her doctoral dissertation was a labor of love and a tribute to the family and friends who supported her on this deeply personal journey.

Mary was a Professor of English Literature both during and following the completion of her doctorate and was known as an energetic, humorous, and demanding teacher. After nearly 20 years teaching on college campuses, she welcomed an opportunity to join Eli Lilly Corporation as an Editor supporting FDA approval and compliance. She worked there for nearly 6 years before joining ITT where she remained for another 6 years as their Senior Legal Compliance Editor. She was known for her professionalism, enthusiasm, and editorial perfectionism. During the last year, she was particularly proud to have been able to contribute to the pandemic response as a contact tracer in Indianapolis working to interview people and collect information for researchers.

She loved travel and poetry and took adventurous road trips with her friends to find inspiration and savored the spirit of freedom she felt being on the open road. She especially loved her “sister trips” with family. Mary was an avid sports fan and enjoyed the Indy500 race, Indians baseball games and Alabama football. She also enjoyed going to her grandchildren’s extracurricular activities and was one of their greatest fans.

She was an active and frequent volunteer, generous with her time and energy with family, friends, neighbors, and her community. She tutored her grandchildren, nieces, and nephews teaching them how to think critically and communicate effectively. She would often introduce herself to new people on her street as “The Neighborhood Watch” and, she was always ready to volunteer for community service projects.

She is survived by her sons and their families— Keith, Lisa, Alex, Jonathan & Haley Sims of Carmel, Indiana; and, Kerry, Emily & Conner Sims and Reed McElhinney of Denver, Colorado; and nieces and nephews, all of whom she dearly loved. Mary is also survived by her siblings, Sandy Clark (Jim) of Cullman, AL; Patti Giambrone (Mike) of Chalkville, AL; Terry (Karen) Hughes of Roswell, GA; Randy (Misty) Hughes of Pelham, AL; Pamela Ajlouny (Basim) of Hoover, AL; Debra Hughes of Villa Rica, GA.

A Celebration of Life will be held for Mary at 11:00AM on June 12, 2021 at Flanner Buchanan-Oaklawn Memorial Gardens (Conner Suite), at 9700 Allisonville Road, Fishers, Indiana. Family and Friends are invited to gather starting at 10:00am. Her final resting place will be in Gardendale, Alabama. A graveside service will be held on June 19th, 2021 at 10am at Moncrief Cemetery, 2055 Moncrief Road Gardendale, AL 35071.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be given to one her favorite causes:
Wheeler Mission https://wheelermission.org/donate-to-wheeler/
Wheeler Mission Ministries is a homeless shelter in Indianapolis providing food, shelter, and recovery
Gleaner’s Food Bank https://secure.gleaners.org/site/Donation2?df_id=1400&mfc_pref=T&1400.donation=form1 For 40 years, reducing hunger has been our mission.