Robert Lee Sims Jr

Robert Lee Sims Jr., known affectionately by family and friends as “Pookie,” was a 37‑year‑old man from Peoria, Illinois whose life touched those around him. Public accounts from neighbors and friends describe him as someone with close ties in his neighborhood — a person whose presence was felt by childhood friends and relatives who called him family.

While public records about Robert’s childhood, work, or hobbies are limited in news coverage, those who spoke after his death emphasized the human connections he had: siblings, nieces and nephews, and friends who remembered him with sorrow and disbelief. One longtime friend described Robert as “like a brother,” a phrase that reflects the deep personal bonds he kept with people who grew up alongside him.

Robert’s death on the night of April 26, 2022, was reported widely by local outlets; community members gathered in the days that followed to express shock and to call for healing in the neighborhood. Local organizers and neighbors voiced their concern about violence while also remembering Robert as a person rather than only as a headline.

Though many details of Robert’s private life are not part of the public record, what remains clear from reporting is that he was a real person with family and friends who loved him and who continue to grieve. This remembrance honors those human connections: the nickname “Pookie,” the friends who called him brother, and the family members who survive him. His life mattered to those who knew him, and that worth persists beyond the brief public notices of his death.

If you have memories of Robert you’d like to preserve on a memorial page — a story, a photo, or a message to his family — those personal recollections will help paint a fuller picture of the man many called “Pookie” and ensure he is remembered for his life and relationships.