James F. "Jim" Sirmons

100 Years of Life
1917 - 2018

James F. Sirmons at Columbia Broadcasting Service

Genealogy

(Under Construction, please check back later)

From Severn Valley, Worcestershire, England to Maryland, North Carolina, Georgia and Florida.

Career

1940-2000

WRUF, WSUN, WCKY, WFMJ, CBS, and AFTRA H&R.

Timeline

(Under Construction, please check back later)

100 Years of events in the life of James F. Sirmons.


Announcement

Raymond L. Sirmons, brother of James F. Sirmons, passed away on 7/8/18 at 97 years old. Funeral Service was on Saturday, July 21, 2018 at 10:00 am. He is pictured above, front and center, at James' memorial on 5/16/18.

In leiu of flowers, the family requests donations to either the Florida United Methodist Childrens Home in Enterprise, Fl (386) 668-4774; or the Children’s Dream Fund (727) 896-6390. Obituary transcript below:

SIRMONS, Raymond "Ray" Lafayette 
Raymond ‘Ray’ Lafayette Sirmons, 97, a husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, WWII vet, and great man of God, passed away on Sunday morning, July 8, 2018. 

Ray was born in St. Petersburg, Florida on January 1, 1921, and grew up watching pro baseball teams hold spring-training, sneaking out to watch games, while playing baseball, football, basketball and golf, some with his big brother, James, at St. Petersburg High School, where he graduated in 1941.

In 1942 as World War II ravaged Europe, Ray enlisted in the US Army Air Forces and trained to work as a RADAR tech specialist – then a brand new technology and a top-secret word. Radar allowed our forces and allies to instantly know which planes were the good guys – crucial to our victory (called IFF, Identification Friend or Foe.)

He was sent on the Queen Elizabeth troop ship to the 8th Army Air Force Division, 361st Fighter Group, 374th Fighter Squadron, in Bottisham, England (outside Cambridge). From there, he worked on radar gear on the ground and in the planes, including the new P-51 Mustangs.

Mid-1944, their unit was moved to Little Walden, England, and on Christmas Day, 1944, they were airlifted to a former German Luftwaffe air base in Saint-Dizier, France. Their unit’s purpose was to fly top cover during the Battle of the Bulge, the last major German offensive. Cold and snowy, he recalled barely being able to dig foxholes in the icy ground. In Feb.1945, they were transported to Chievres, Belgium, and in April went back to England, leaving for the USA on November 4 on the Queen Mary (which was used as a troop ship) after victory was secured. He received citations for his part in the European air offensive, D-Day (the Battle of Normandy), the Battles for the Rhineland, Ardennes and Central Europe. Medals received included Good Conduct, EAMETO, ATO, and the World War II Victory Medal.

He quickly set out to marry the girl he left behind in St. Pete, Marno Elizabeth Thornton, marrying on June 2, 1946. They soon made their home in a trailer at the University of Florida, where he graduated in 1949 with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and their first son, Don. This was the start of a die-hard Florida Gator family that lasted the rest of his life, and continues through his four children and many others who carry that Gator tradition.

He soon landed a job with Florida Power Corporation (now Duke Energy) in DeLand, Fl, as a salesman who also aided with downed power lines during storms. He quickly moved up into management as the district manager in New Port Richey, Fl. A few years later, they moved him to the main office in St. Pete, where he worked in government relations in Tallahassee and Washington DC, and finished his 36-year career with Florida Power as Director of Public Affairs in 1983.

His daughter, Janie, had become a golf professional by that time, and he used his early retirement to caddy for her on the LPGA Tour. 

Each summer, Ray and his wife went up to the family’s rustic summer cottage in Cedarville in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Its idyllic setting on Lake Huron created magical memories for the extended family, and does to this day.

Ray’s parents came from south Georgia to St. Pete in the early 1900s, where his father, Benjamin Franklin Sirmons, worked on the now-extinct trolley cars that ran downtown. His Mom (Pearl) and Dad were devout Christians, and Ray, his brother and 5 sisters lived true to their faith at Woodlawn Presbyterian Church. 

Ray and his wife were founding members of Riviera United Methodist Church in northeast St. Pete, which started in Riviera Junior High School and continued as they built two sanctuaries, the second after the first one became too small. He was a Lay Leader in the Methodist Church, and found himself preaching from the pulpit more than a few times.

Marno, his devoted wife of over 60 years and a loving housewife and mother, passed before him on March 1, 2007, at 84 years old.

He leaves behind 4 children – Don, a retired Florida 14th Circuit Court judge; Paul, a movie producer; Gary, owner of Sirmons Insurance Services (health) in Clearwater; and Janie, teaching pro golfer at Long Boat Key CC in Florida and Cold Springs CC on Long Island, NY ; 4 grandchildren, and 5 great grandchildren. He’s also survived by three sisters – Ruth Wilson, Fran Fredericks, and Miriam ‘Mimi’ Wood. Passing before him were brother James, and sisters Millicent Deane Thomason, Elizabeth ‘Libby’ Mudd, and baby brother Phillip Wallace.

Funeral service will be at Riviera United Methodist Church in northeast St. Petersburg, with visitation at 9AM, funeral service @ 10AM, and committal at Memorial Park afterwards. A memorial celebration of Ray’s life will follow.

Memorial Service

Place: Riviera United Methodist Church
Address: 175 62nd Ave N, St. Petersburg, FL 33702
Date: Saturday, July 21, 2018
Time: 10:00 am

In lieu of flowers you may send donations to either the Florida United Methodist Childrens Home in Enterprise, Fl (386) 668-4774; or the Children’s Dream Fund (727) 896-6390. 

7/21/2018

Obituary

Ray's obituary was published in the Tampa Bay Times, Florida, on July 20, 2018.

Condolences and memories can be left at the memorial set up by the Anderson McQueen Funeral Home's site.

See obit transcript below.

7/20/2018

Immurement

Place: Memorial Park Cemetery
Address: 4900 54th Ave N, Saint Petersburg, FL
Web: www.memorialparkfuneralhome.com

The military committal ceremony took place immediately following the funeral service, where he was immured into a crypt next to his late wife, Mrs. Marno E. (Thornton) Sirmons.

7/21/2018

Announcement

James F. Sirmons passed away on 4/20/18 at 100 years old. Memorial Service was on Saturday, May 26, 2018 at 11:00 am.

In lieu of flowers, you may send a donation either to the Woodlawn (where Jim was an elder) or St. Petersburg College Foundation Scholarship (where Jim received the education that launched his career). Obituary transcript below:

SIRMONS, James "Jim" Franklin
100, passed away peacefully at 2:25 am on Friday, 20 Apr 2018 in his home in Saint Petersburg, FL. Born in 1917, he attended Saint Petersburg Junior College and the University of Florida, and started a career in radio, working for Ohio stations WCKY and WFMJ. He met Virginia L. Gorgas in Youngstown, OH and married her on 16 Jun 1941 in Dunedin, FL.

In 1942 he joined CBS in New York as Production Supervisor. His voice was often heard over national radio saying, "This is the CBS Radio Network," and he announced musicians such as Frank Sinatra and Fred Allen before they came out on stage in front of a live audience. He worked and golfed with many news personalities including Edward R. Murrow, Douglas Edwards, Paul White, Robert Trout, and Lowell Thomas.

He managed the production of the first live televised presidential election in progress (the Truman vs Dewey election on 2 Nov 1948) and worked closely with CBS founders William S. Paley and Frank Stanton. He concurrently taught classes in radio broadcasting at NYU. One of his former students, radio & television host Larry King, accredits Sirmons as being a pivotal person in the success of his own career.

In 1957, Jim was promoted into the Labor Relations department at CBS. He concurrently joined the AFTRA Health & Retirement Funds where he remained on the board of directors for 42 years, negotiating over 60 contracts to improve the benefits of industry talent.

The "James F. Sirmons Conference Room" at their headquarters in New York City was named in his honor.

At his 50th anniversary at CBS in 1992 he was awarded a plaque with the bronze "S" that used to be mounted outside the old CBS building. He retired in 2000 as Executive Vice President of Industrial Relations, having worked there 58 years (longer than almost everyone else in the history of the network) with over 200 labor agreements to his credit.

In Dec 2017, his 100th birthday party was held in his home with a large gathering of family. He was preceded in death by his granddaughter Alicia in 1987, his wife Virginia in 1993, his son Tom in 2014, and his son Jim in 2018.

He is survived by two children: Donna Sirmons and John Sirmons; two grandchildren, Christopher Sirmons Haviland and Shana Wynkoop; and three great grandchildren: Forest Sirmons Haviland, William "Sky" Haviland, and River Lane Haviland of McKinney, TX.

He was laid to rest at the Royal Palm Cemetery on 25 Apr 2018. Memorial services will be held at the Woodlawn Presbyterian Church at 2612 12th St N, St Petersburg, FL on 26 May 2018 at 11:00 am. See SirmonsFamily.net for more details.
 

Memorial Service

Place: Woodlawn Presbyterian Church
Address: 2612 12th St. N., Saint Petersburg, FL.
Date: Saturday, May 26, 2018
Time: 11:00 am

In lieu of flowers you may send a donation to the Woodlawn Presbyterian Church or the St. Petersburg College Foundation Scholarship in honor of Jim Sirmons, who accredits the college for inspiring his successful career. He was the recipient of their Outstanding Alumnus Award in 2008, and he was a faithful supporter and member of the Woodlawn church for many years.

5/26/2018

Obituary

Jim's obituary was published in the Tampa Bay Times, Florida, on May 13, 2018.

Condolences and memories can be left at the memorial set up by the Anderson McQueen Funeral Home's site.

See obit transcript below.

5/13/2018

Immurement

Place: Royal Palm Cemetery
Address: 2600 Gandy Blvd N, St. Petersburg, FL 33702
Web: www.royalpalmnorth.com

Attended by a small private gathering only, James Franklin Sirmons was immured in a crypt next to his wife Virginia [Gorgas] Sirmons (1917-1993) and his sons Thomas Raymond Sirmons (1954-2014) and James "Jim" Richard Sirmons (1947-2018).

4/25/2018

For questions, contact chrishaviland@sirmonsfamily.net.

FindAGrave Profile

Profile number: 189023129
Sponsor: Christopher Sirmons Haviland (grandson) via the Haviland Heritage Society

4/21/2018

Deceased

James F. Sirmons passed away peacefully in his Saint Petersburg, FL home at 100 years, 4 months and 4 days old.

Date: April 20, 2018
Time: 2:25 am EST

4/20/2018

100th Birthday Party

Having turned 100 years old in mid-December 2017, a large gathering of family regaled Jim with gifts and love. He was sent many personal happy birthday wishes from family, friends, and colleagues including his successor at CBS, Harry Isaacs and radio & television host Larry King.

Date: December 27, 2017
Location: His home in Saint Petersburg, FL.

12/27/2017

Other siblings
> Millicent (Sirmons) Deane Thomason (sister), 30 Mar 1913 - 30 Nov 2008: interred at the Evergreen Municipal Cemetery in Sanford, Florida - Obituary, FindAGrave
> Elizabeth "Libby" Curren (Sirmons) Mudd, 8 Aug 1915 - 27 Mar 1996: interred at the Sunnyside Cemetery in Saint Petersburg, Florida - FindAGrave