Linda Lea Lucas Sims, 84, lately of Punta Gorda, Florida, but of Des Moines, Iowa, passed away peacefully with family by her side on July 3, 2025, at Hampton Manor in Punta Gorda, Florida, after being diagnosed with end stage cancer.
Linda was born on September 22, 1940, in Russell, Iowa, to Myrl Dave Richard Lucas (a farmer) and Thelma Pauline Kells Lucas (a teacher). She was involved in 4-H, the band, and chorus in the Russell school system. Linda especially loved riding her horse. She was inquisitive, feisty and outgoing and knew no stranger.
Linda met Harold Sims in high school; she was a freshman while he was a senior. They were lifelong sweethearts and were married at the “Little Brown Church in the Vale” in Nashua, Iowa, in 1958. They lived in Des Moines, Indianola, and Pleasantville, IA. Linda and Harold were into “house flipping” before it became popular. They settled into Pleasantville where they raised their three children and eventually established a business with their sons. Linda’s life centered around family, church, and friends.
Linda and Harold had a heart for missions, going on several short term missions trips in their retirement years to Honduras, Nicaragua, South Dakota, and Peru. After Harold’s passing in 2002, Linda moved to Des Moines, Iowa, and worked as the receptionist at Grace Church. She demonstrated her independence by continuing on missions “treks” both alone and accompanied by her grandson Caleb.
When she retired and moved to Pleasantville, she enjoyed spending time with family. The last few years she relocated to Punta Gorda, FL, living with her daughter Tami; spoiling her pups, Misha and Bella; and being near her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Linda was a wonderful mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, who will be missed greatly. She loved and cared for her family and friends alike.
Linda is survived by her daughter Tami (John, deceased) Farrell of Punta Gorda, FL; son Scott (Nadine) Sims of Pleasantville, IA; and son David Shawn (Meg Anne) Sims of Anoka, MN; her grandchildren and great-grandchildren (Scott and Nadine’s children): son Benjamin (Hannah) Sims and their children Maelee, Harper, Lucas, and Dylan of Port Charlotte, FL; son Caleb Sims and Rebecca Donaldson of North Port, FL; and daughter Rebekah (Joel) Pittman and their children Kaleigh, Micah, and Khloe of North Port, FL. She is also survived by her younger sister Leora (Peter) Pruessing of Whitefish Bay, WI, and their children Melissa Pruessing of Mukwonago, WI, and Harold Pruessing of Milwaukee, WI, and his children; niece Karen (Pete) Wells Peterson of Colorado Springs, CO, and her children and families; nephew Steve (Mickey) Sims of Haslet, TX, and their children and families; and niece Diana (Jim) Willits of Windsor Heights, IA, and their children and families.
She was preceded in death by her husband Harold Lee Sims; her parents Myrl Dave Richard Lucas and Thelma Pauline Kells Lucas; her in-laws Harley Nelson Sims and Pearl Maria Boozell Sims; a granddaughter Kelly Lynn Sims; her brothers and sisters-in-law Juanita (Thane) Wells, Hobart (Mary) Sims, and Lowell (Arlene) Sims; and nephews Roger and Carl Wells, and Gary Sims.
A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 11:15 a.m. on Saturday, July 12, 2025, at Fielding Funeral Home, 227 S. Grand Avenue, Chariton, IA, 50049, with Pastor Phil Winfield officiating. Visitation is scheduled from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 12, 2025, with family present to greet friends.
Although flowers are much appreciated, the family requests donations to the Missions Ministry at Grace Church, 4200 E. 25th Street, Des Moines, IA 50317. The family also wishes to recognize the Hampton Manor “family,” both residents and especially their staff, who loved on Linda as family until her Savior took her home.
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