Memorial resurfaces years after being swept away
Teens discover bench sticking out of the Grand River
WATERLOO — Sonja Simon thought the bench was gone forever.
The bench that was built as a memorial to her late husband, Dave, was swept into the Grand River after spring flooding three years ago and she presumed it was broken and destroyed by the raging waters.
But last month, two teenagers were looking for golf balls in the river around Conestoga Golf Course and they saw it sticking it out of the water not far from Dave’s former home. The boys are the nephews of the man who built the bench so they knew exactly what it was.
“It is pretty special,” said Simon, who now has the tribute bench in the backyard of her Waterloo home.
Peggy Nitsche’s husband, Tom, built the bench weeks after Dave Simon died on April 8, 2016.
Tom and Dave were neighbours and the families were close after living side by side for years.
“It was pretty convenient for my husband to have that friend in Dave. He didn’t have to make plans and put it in the calendar. He just walked over to Dave’s,” Peggy Nitsche said.
So when Dave Simon, 75, passed away from pulmonary fibrosis, Tom decided to build a bench in Dave’s favourite sitting spot facing the golf course. He bought the wood, and purchased sand and stone and created a pathway.
“It’s quiet. You don’t hear traffic and you hear birds singing and at certain times of the day, you can see the reflection of the trees in the water,” said Nitsche, describing Dave’s favourite sitting spot.
When the bench disappeared, the Simons’ daughter, Kate Simon-Hendel, posted a plea on Facebook and 2,000 people replied with messages of sympathy.
Every year for Dave’s birthday, Sonja and others gather to toast Dave and share a shot of whisky at the same spot.
This year’s birthday toast was extra special. The bench was recovered a day before Dave’s birthday.
It was pressure-washed and looks like new, said
Simon, who moved from Conestogo to Waterloo after her husband died.
Nitsche said she was shocked when the boys found the bench because it felt like a part of Dave had been swept away. She believes the bench being found is sign and not a simple coincidence.
“Especially because of COVID and the dark cloud we are living in, I feel like it’s Dave saying, ‘I know everything is scary right now, but it’s going to be OK,’ ” she said. “It feels hopeful.”
Sonja Simon said the recovered bench in her backyard is a reminder of her husband that she looks at every day from her living room window.
“He is still around. We just can’t see him,” she said.