Harold Alfred Simms III (Hal), born May 11, 1934, died on June 9, 2012 at the Hospice House of the Carolina Foothills in Landrum.
Born in Chicago, he grew up a block from the ocean in Redondo Beach, Calif. and spent summers with grandparents in Lafayette, La. Water was his lifelong love. He built and sailed his first boat at 13, learned to fly at 16 and developed a passion for weather. A degree in chemical engineering from LSU took him to work for Dow Chemical and later to his own design and engineering of water systems in his companies, Gulf South Environmental Engineering Ltd. and Simms Engineering.
In 1979 he took his family to sail full time for a year on the  “Wand’rin Star,” and then continued to live on board and sail on his own “Wand’rin Star II” for as long as he was able. In his last years he contributed to improved water worldwide through Water Missions International (www.watermissionsinternational.org).
The deepest loves of his life were his daughter, Victoria Rene’, and son, Harold Alfred Simms IV (Chip). Their mother, his friend, Irene Simms, lives in Twisp, Wash. Victoria has homes in Villa Rica, Ga. and Twisp, Wash. and works on ships in various seas around the world, presently with her sweetheart of four years, Paul Schroeder. Chip lives in Sebastapol, Calif. with Diana and their 12-year-old sons, Cooper and Tristan. Hal’s sister, Nancy Springhorn, as well as her children, William Springhorn Jr. and Polly Springhorn, live in the Bay area of California. His sister Barbara Simms lives in Santa Ana, Calif. Her children are: niece, Stephanie Ciarelli, and nephews, Mike and Steve Searles. His sister Mary Lou Simms lives in Westminster, Calif. His brother, David, and Leslie Keig live in Eureka, Calif.
Hal has known and lived with another love of his life, Linda Page Hudgins, of Tryon since 1999. His friends and family knew him as powerful of mind, body and will, fun-loving, straightforward and true.
He often quoted his father, “If you’ve got something to do in life, better get out there and do it.” He did.
A celebration of his life will held at a later date.
An online guest register may be signed at www.mcfarlandfuneralchapel.com.
McFarland Funeral Chapel, Tryon.