Marion Owen Sims Bunker, 78, passed peacefully into life everlasting on Saturday, June 24, 2017, following a short battle with cancer. Born February 19, 1939 in Richland, GA, Marion was the youngest daughter of Dr. & Mrs. Alfonso Radford Sims. She attended Saint Mary’s School in Raleigh, NC, before entering Randolph Macon Woman’s College in Lynchburg, VA, where she became a member of Chi Omega. All along the way she attracted what became lifelong friendships.
While pursing her studies at Randolph Macon, she met a West Point cadet, Robert M. (Bob) Bunker. Although very different in personality, the two shared a strong Christian faith, adventurous and giving spirits, and a shared focus on the gifts of family and the sanctity of marriage. They married in 1959, a year after Bob’s graduation. She then completed her studies, earning a bachelor of arts in History.
As a young girl, she was intrigued by Hilary’s summit of Everest. Her thirst for adventure and Bob’s career took them around the United States and the globe – South Korea, Singapore, and Hungary. Their travel included a trek in Nepal that fulfilled her dream of seeing Everest with her own eyes.
They built a strong, loving family with their three sons, always connected to extended family, church communities, and friendships made over the years. An avid reader, she loved participating in book clubs; served as a docent at Gunston Hall; and was an officer of The Colonial Dames of America. Noteworthy was her ability to recall people, and details of their lives, long after a meeting. She knew all milestones of her family and friends’ lives. Wherever they lived, she was a devoted member of their Episcopal communities, serving as a lector and member of the Altar Guild.
Marion is survived by her husband of almost 58 years, MG Robert M. Bunker, (Ret.); her sons, Radford Sims, Raymond Ramsdell and Robert Monroe; her daughters -in-law Ellen (Raymond) and Jean (Robert); six grandchildren: Madison, Amelia, Sarah, Grant, Hays and Owen; her eldest sister, Betty Sims Patterson; a large number of nieces and nephews; and extended family and friends. They will always treasure her many gifts as a thoughtful, generous, gracious, strong Christian woman who always put others before self. Her beloved sister, Susan Mitchner Dunn, predeceased her.
Funeral services will be held on Saturday, July 1 at 11 a.m. at All Saints Episcopal Church in Atlanta. Burial will be at Pohick Episcopal Church in Lorton, VA, on Saturday, July 8. Donations in honor of Marion may be made to the Hospice Atlanta Center.
