Former Missouri State Senator Betty Sims (R-Ladue) has died. State Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Glendale), who announced Sims’ passing on Twitter, describes her as a “committed public servant.”
Senator Eric Schmitt
“And left an indelible mark, I think, on issues related to mental health and children’s and families. And even past her service in the Senate, which expired in 2002, was a committed public servant. She served on the Coordinating Board for Higher Education,” Schmitt says.
Schmitt says Sims was one of the first people he spoke to when he ran for the Senate in 2008. He says Sims set the example for bipartisanship in the Senate, and after she left public office.
“She was always willing to serve, she was always willing to meet with people. She was always willing to work with folks no matter what the letter was behind their name, whether it was an R or a D, she was somebody committed to getting good things done for the benefit of the state,” Schmitt says.
Sims served in the Missouri Senate from 1995 to 2002. During her Senate career, she emphasized mental health issues and education, as well as helping children with disabilities.
She also served later on the Junior League in the St. Louis area.
Schmitt says funeral arrangements are pending.