Sims Louis Roy, Jr.

On Tuesday, January 24, 2023, Sims Louis Roy, Jr., loving husband and father, passed away at age seventy-nine at Duke Regional Hospital in Durham, North Carolina. Sims was born to Emma Bordelon and Sims Roy, Sr., on May 30, 1943, in Mansura, Louisiana. He married Barbara Roy (née Hebert) in 1966, moved to Durham in 1971, and they shared fifty-six years together raising their children and traveling after retirement. Sims obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from Louisiana State University and a Master of Business Administration from Duke University and worked for the Environmental Protection Agency for thirty-four years before his retirement in 2005.

Sims was a former Cub Scout Leader, a longtime member of the Knights of Columbus, and a prior member of the Parish Council at Immaculate Conception Church and at St. Matthew Catholic Church. He enjoyed photography, astronomy, gardening, cooking (and eating) good food, and producing masterful woodworking creations. In his younger years he was also an avid hunter, fisher, and enjoyed camping. He is survived by his wife, Barbara; his sons, Mark Roy, and William “Joey” (Mechelle) Roy; his daughter, Elizabeth (Adrian) Felix; his two grandchildren, Avery and Garrett; his two brothers, Cecil (Susan) Roy, and Sherwin (Linda) Roy; and numerous nephews and nieces. He was preceded in death by his parents, Emma and Sims, and his sister, Gaynelle Rabalais.

A visitation will be held at St. Matthew Catholic Church at 11am on Tuesday, January 31st, a church service will be held at 12 noon, and the Rite of Committal will follow at St. Matthew Catholic Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that a memorial donation be made to the general fund for St. Matthew Catholic Church (https://stmatthewcc.org/donate-now; please include “Sims Roy memorial donation”).