Biography: J. Bryan Sims, Jr died on Friday, December 1 after a brief battle with cancer. As a long term resident of Little Rock, Mr. Sims was prominent in his community and active in his church and other volunteer groups. He was an honor to his family and will be missed dearly. Born in Wabash, AR November 20, 1921 to J. Bryan and Marie McCoy Sims, Mr. Sims attended Little Rock public schools and graduated from Little Rock Senior High School in 1939. After attending Monticello A&M and the University of Arkansas, he enlisted in the US Army Air Force. He completed training as a Glider Pilot and participated in the D-Day invasion of Normandy, piloting a British Horsa glider equipped with a Jeep with trailer and 13 men of the 82nd Airborne, for which he was awarded a medal. He also participated in the Invasion of Holland and the crossing of the Rhine into Germany. He was proud of the fact that he delivered his troops uninjured and in the proper area with each of his missions. He participated in special 50th anniversary celebrations in France in recognition of the D-Day celebration, at which time he was welcomed with open arms by people on the streets of Paris. With that, he stated "I guess I was involved in something pretty special". Mr. Sims remained active and held leadership positions with the Glider Pilot veterans groups and attended annual reunions across the country for more than 25 years. This special group of men remained dear to him throughout his life. After the war, Bryan returned to the University of Arkansas where he studied finance and accounting. In 1947 he married Sara Shuford of Shelby, NC and they lived in New York City where Bryan worked for Bank of New York while Sara studied at Julliard. She died tragically in 1948, so Bryan returned to Little Rock in 1950, where he worked for Russell Brown & Company. In 1951, he married Dorothy Jung, who preceded him in death after 51 years of marriage. In 1954, he took a position with the John Matthews Company in North Little Rock, expanding his experience in commercial real estate. In 1958, he was recruited to Stephens, Inc where he was one of only 20 employees at the time. He stayed with Stephens for more than 28 years, being part of the growth of the company as he worked in areas such as real estate and municipal bonds. Upon his retirement as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in December 1985, he was recognized as a trusted advisor for his broad background in business operations. Mr. Sims left this world with the respect of many. He is much loved by his children: William Jay Sims of Little Rock, Jeanette Sims of Charlotte, NC, Louis Van Sims and wife Holly of Temple, TX, and Laurie S. Woods and husband Mike of Dallas, TX. He is adored by his four grandchildren and two great grandchildren. He is also survived by his sister Alyce Jean Zini and her husband Tony of North Little Rock, and his sister-in-law Mary Frances Johnston of Magnolia. Visitation will be 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 3, 2006 at Ruebel Funeral Home. Funeral services are scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on Monday at Park Hill Christian Church, 4400 JFK Blvd., North Little Rock, officiated by Rev. Miles Cook, pastor, and Rev. Jim Farmer, retired pastor. Burial will follow in Calvary Cemetery, Little Rock. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Park Hill Christian Church, Heifer Project International (P.O. Box 1692, 1015 Louisiana Street, Little Rock AR 72202), or a charity of your choice.