- Date Of Birth: July 6, 1928
- Date Of Death: February 13, 2020
- State: Florida
Ealmar Sims Wiley, 91 of Tallahassee and Havana went to be with her Savior and late husband (JP Wiley) on Thursday, February 13, 2020. She had resided for the past few years as an independent at Tapestry Senior Living, Tallahassee, where she was an “Ambassador” to new residents. She enjoyed her position, as she has always had an out-going personality.
Born to James and Mina (Deal) Sims in Graceville, Florida on July 6, 1928, the Sims family lived in Dothan, Alabama until she was seven and moved to Ruskin, Florida. She attended Ruskin Elementary and enjoyed all subjects in school and Ms. Mullis was her favorite teacher in the 3rd and 4th grades. She proudly graduated as Valedictorian from Wimauma High School in Ruskin, Florida while working all the jobs in the local 3rd Class Post Office station in the afternoons, summers and Holidays. Early on, she tried working as a State employee but they didn’t take females at that time. After a blind movie date setup by her girlfriend, Barbara Parsons, she met JP “Pete” Wiley of Tallahassee.
They married in 1948 and moved to Tallahassee where JP was employed as a millwright at Barineau Lumber Yard. She worked as a meat-cutter for years at the A&P store, landed a job with the State of Florida Division of Motor Vehicles as a Clerk 2 Troubleshooter working her way up to supervisor of the Fast Title Section, retiring in 1989 after 34 years. They built a house between Tallahassee/Havana communities and lived there for over 57 years. JP was crippled by arthritis for over 27 years but they still adopted their son, Thomas, in 1960. While in the local area, Ealmar brought JP home for weekends from the Knowles Nursing Home. Due to arthritis medication, JP was blind for seven years and was accepted into the Florida Masonic Home in St. Petersburg, Florida from 1979-1983. Dedicated to her husband, she made the many weekend trips to St Pete to be with her husband. During this time, Ealmar augmented the family income with projects like crocheting, cracking/cleaning/bagging pecans and sewing 3D pictures of horses, deer, and ducks. JP passed away on his son’s 30th birthday, November 22, 1983.
A few years after JP had passed away she decided she had worked for 66 years and wanted to enjoy life. She loved to travel with church groups and friends to such places as Russia, China, Greece, UK, Turkey, New Zealand, Australia, Iceland and many more. Still not settled into retirement, she began working for Publix Oak Valley in 1996 to 2011. Even after moving into assisted living, she remained active working as the breakfast hostess at the Microtel Inn on North Monroe Street.
She is predeceased by her husband JP “Pete”; her parents, James (Jim) and Mina Sims of Ruskin FL; her sister, Evelyn; brother, Jimmy Louis Jr.; and nephew, Mike Sims. She is survived by her son Thomas (Lynette Barna) of Canaan, NH; and granddaughter, Victoria. Also surviving are numerous nieces and nephews.
She was an energetic woman that if she set her mind to something, it would get done. Fiercely loyal to her late husband she joins him now for a lifetime of pain-free moments in the sun. May God Bless.
