In Memoriam 1992-1997/Virginia Taylor Sims

In Memoriam 1992-1997 Virginia Taylor Sims

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VIRGINIA TAYLOR SIMS

1908-1993

Virginia Taylor Sims was born on September 20, 1908, in Cincinnati, Ohio. She was the daughter of Dora and Benjamin R. Taylor, both of whom became Bahá’ís before the turn of the century. Virginia's father served as a delegate to the second Mashriqu’l-Adhkár Convention which resulted in the establishment of Bahá’í Temple Unity in March of 1909.

The story goes that when she was a four-year-old child, Virginia accompanied her parents to the train station to meet ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as he arrived in Cincinnati. When Virginia saw the Master, she broke free from the arms of her parents, exclaiming that she wanted that man in white. Thus, even in the early days of her life, she was drawn to and able to identify the spiritual strength and purity of this stranger dressed in unfamiliar garb. It would almost seem that the path of her life was set at that very moment.

In the 1940s she met James A. Sims who became her husband and joined the ranks of the followers of Bahá’u’lláh. The Sims had three children: James Jr., Patricia Ann, and Donald.

During the latter years of her life Virginia was a pioneer in West Memphis, Arkansas. Shortly before her passing in December 1993, she moved to Illinois. On December 27, the Universal House of Justice wrote to the National Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States:

PASSING LOYAL, STEADFAST, STALWART VIRGINIA TAYLOR SIMS SADLY DIMINISHES DWINDLING NUMBER FRIENDS WHO WERE PRIVILEGED ATTAIN PRESENCE BELOVED MASTER DURING HIS EPIC JOURNEY NORTH AMERICA. SHARE DEEP SENSE LOSS YOUR COMMUNITY THIS INTREPID TEACHER CAUSE GOD. FERVENTLY PRAYING HOLY SHRINES PROGRESS HER NOBLE SOUL ABHÁ KINGDOM.