Message from beyond
Memorial bench found three years after it was lost to a flood
Sometimes what was lost can in fact be found.
In June 2017, a flood swept away a bench with a plaque memorializing David John Simon from its place near the golf course in Conestogo. After his family noticed it was missing, Simon’s daughter Kate Simon-Hendel put out a call for help in finding the treasured memento.
Now, almost three years later the bench has been found and has been returned to a family that had missed the beloved momento.
The discovery was made not far from where the bench initially went missing by Brett and Luke Weber as they were out looking for golf balls April 3. Their aunt, Peggy Nitsche, was overjoyed after finding out what they had discovered, not only because the Simons were her neighbours and her husband Tom was the one who made the bench, but because the find came the day before what would have been Simon’s birthday.
“People can believe all kinds of things, and you can believe that everything in life is a coincidence, or someone like Sonja can be comforted with the idea that ... maybe it’s Dave saying, ‘hey, I am still here and I am still with you,’” said Nitsche of Simon’s widow. “I feel like she is going to have a piece of Dave with her now. I truly believe that was Dave in his own way letting her know that she’s not alone, that he’s still with her.”
She says they spent a lot of time trying to find the bench after it was lost, but they were unable to do so and eventually the formal search was called off.
To try to lessen the loss, Nitsche’s husband made another bench and replaced the one which was missing, adorning it with a new plaque to commemorate the loss of Simon. However, the bench being taken was still a blow to the family that was grieving its patriarch.
Nitsche says the importance of the bench signifies where the family would go to spend time with Simon on important days like birthdays, Father’s Day and the anniversary of his death. When the bench disappeared, it “ripped their hearts out.”
“When the original bench was lost in the flood it was really hard ... that place on the Grand River where the bench was situated is where they put his ashes,” said Nitsche.
The family was reunited with the bench April 4 and Nitsche says they can now have it in the garden at the family home.
For Simon-Hendel, finding the bench during a time like this gives her hope in a time when we’re surrounded by a lot of negative news.
“It was such a great feeling especially right now when the whole world’s going through something big and it’s not very good news so this was a bit of good news,” said Simon-Hendel. “It was really uplifting for myself and, especially, my mom.”