Florence Maxine Sims Goode's Obituary
Florence Maxine Sims Goode was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on July 21, 1921 to Selena and Thomas Sims. She was the second child of six siblings: Thomas Lamar, Charles Brockway, Jeanette Gwendolyn, Richard Birchard and Beulah Herschel. After the loss of their mother, family members took on the responsibility of the six children and raised them as their own, without them losing their bond with one another.
The children all attended Eastport Elementary School which was a block from their home. Maxine graduated from Wiley H. Bates High School in 1937 - the first class in the new Bates High School building.
After High School, Maxine joined two aunts, Georgia and Naomi, who had moved to Boston, Massachusetts. She quickly got secretarial jobs while going to school in the evenings. She acquired a job with the US Customs Service in finance, where she remained until her retirement, at age 68.
While in Boston, Maxine joined the Twelfth Baptist Church and was baptized there. She joined the choir and made several lifelong friends. She traveled extensively and enjoyed all of the social amenities offered by the church. She also met and married Mark Goode. Maxine never missed her weekly phone calls to her brother Lamar and returned home frequently for family events, holidays and summer vacations.
Maxine lived in Boston for 52 years before returning home to Annapolis. She reconnected to her roots and came back to Mt Zion. Shortly after her return, Maxine joined the Senior Choir. She worked with the youth on their fundraising activities like the Boat Shows and the Kunta Kinte Festivals. Maxine put her financial skills to work during Mt Zion’s participation in the Maryland Seafood Festival.
During her free time, Maxine enjoyed shopping and ‘people watching’. She was an avid football and basket fan. The New England Patriots were her favorite team, however, when she moved back to Maryland, the Baltimore Ravens also became one of her favorite teams.
Maxine lived independently until she was 99 when she began to need more assistance. For the last three years, Maxine resided at Crofton Cares/Autumn Lakes where she enjoyed activities such as playing bingo and creating arts and crafts. In July of 2023, Maxine celebrated her 102nd birthday.
Maxine leaves to cherish her memories, the children of her siblings - Charles Sims (Jean) of Columbus, IN; Anna Marie Sims of Baltimore, MD; Rosalind Collazo of Odenton, MD; Sharon Gripper (Eddie) of Hempstead, NY; Linda Gray of Brooklyn, NY; Rhonda Pitts of Upper Marlboro, MD; Bonita Sims of Odenton, MD; Valerie Bryant (Carl) of Upper Marlboro, MD; Richard Sims (Annie) of Lexington, MD; Brian Sims (Joyce) of Crownsville, MD; Tracie Butts (Stacey) of Olathe, KS; Lester Sims (Tina) of Crownsville, MD; Sheila Finlayson of Annapolis, MD; Lionel Gray (Emily) of Glen Burnie, MD; Sandra Gray of Annapolis, MD; Sharon Walker (Claude) of Sanford, NC; Craig Gray (Lillie) of Annapolis, MD; Stephanie Arizmendi (Ruben) of Severn, MD; Sandy Sims of Odenton, MD; god-daughter Nancy Anthony of Charlotte, NC; god-daughter Arlene Wells of Annapolis, MD and a host of great-nieces and nephews, cousins and close family friends.
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