Melvin (Mel) Leslie Sims, 82, of Sundre, Alberta, passed away on Wednesday, April 3, 2024.

Mel was born to Beatrice and Leslie Sims on January 20th, 1942 in Bowsman, Manitoba.

He grew up on the farm where he developed a love for mechanics, and met Marjorie Lynn Udahl in 1963 when he worked at the Esso in Swan River, Manitoba and her parents owned the seed cleaning plant there. They were married April 11, 1964 in Swan River.

To this union four boys were born – Melvin Lonnie, Tyler Shera, Ryan Timothy and Trevor Scott.

Life took the Sims family from Dauphin, Manitoba to Surrey and Fraser Lake, British Columbia and to Brooks and Exshaw, Alberta. Their final move was to Sundre where Melvin was living at the time of his passing.

He owned two gas station/garages. The Esso in Dauphin, Manitoba and a Shell in Surrey, British Columbia. He was an Interprovincial Red Seal Mechanic and his knowledge was often drawn on by the boys. There wasn’t anything he could not fix.

He eventually tired of owning a garage and the family, which consisted of Mel, Marj, Lonnie and Tyler at the time, moved to Fraser Lake in the spring of 1977 where he once again worked as a mechanic at the Endako Mine. The mine went on strike which precipitated a move to Brooks, Alberta in 1979 where his older sister Reita Paddock and husband Wayne and their family lived. It was here that he began his trucking career with Latham Concrete which conveniently enough was managed by his brother-in-law Wayne Paddock. It was also here that he became a father in January 1980 to twin boys – Ryan and Scott. The Sims family doubled in size and they now had their four boys.

When trucking became slow in Brooks, the family moved to Exshaw, Alberta the summer of 1983 and Mel continued trucking, this time for Slimdor Holdings hauling shale to the Lafarge cement plant in Exshaw. He even got to haul rip rap to a movie set.

In 1995 there was an opportunity to haul wood chips as a lease operator for Trimac in Sundre. Eventually he put two trucks on the wood chip haul and one on a peat moss haul and was the boss of his own company. Marj did the books and he hauled, did the mechanics on his own trucks and was kept busy making sure the other two trucks had drivers.

In his 20’s, Mel earned his pilot’s license and purchased a Piper J-3 Cub with his friend Alvin. He would have many wonderful (and dangerous) adventures in that plane. He played guitar and loved curling. He had a great sense of humour that he passed onto his children and grandchildren. He was considerate to a fault.

Mel loved to hunt and fish and showed great love and respect for wildlife and the outdoors. Over the years he passed on his love of fishing to all four of his boys and every summer starting in 1989, there was a trip to Saskatchewan where his oldest son Lonnie lived to spend a week fishing.

Mel loved his wife, kids and grandkids dearly. And he was very proud of his kids, often telling his friends how proud he was of them.

Mel was predeceased by his father Leslie Sims, his mother Beatrice Sims and his loving wife of 56 years, Marjorie Sims.

Mel is survived by his four sons, Lonnie (Becky), Tyler (Coralee), Ryan (Christa), Scott (Julie); his grandchildren, Sarah, Joel (Eleah), Addison (Elmoné), Allisha (Dave), Avery, Madelynn, Abigail, Everett and Naomi; his great grandchildren Sommer, Noa and Evelyn; his sister Reita (Wayne) Paddock; and many loving nephews, nieces, friends as well as his fish “Speedy”.

• Date : 2024-04-13
• Location : (Sundre) Locally Family Owned (Red Deer/Blackfalds/Eckville) www.ParklandFuneralHome.com & (Innisfail/Olds/Didsbury/Sundre) www.HeartlandFuneralServices.com