This woman honoured her husband with a commemorative bench along GRCA trail

Shirley Dodman of Burlington, Ont., felt the best way to honour her late husband Tom Simon was with a commemorative bench on a trail they regularly cycled.

Tom Simon, an avid cyclist who usually biked up to 30,000 kilometres a year, was killed by a hit-and-run driver when he was cycling in Florida in December 2020. 

Dodman says the location, on the Hamilton to Brantford rail trail just south of Jerseyville Road, overlooks a pond and was a place they stopped for a break and to take in the scenery.

"We cycled it every month and I noticed that spot by the duck pond and I thought, I always stopped there and this is a lovely spot for a bench," Dodman said.

"After Tom was killed, I thought, you know, this is what I should do. It was lovely and it's a great memory. It's a great spot for me to stop and share some memories, think and talk to people that are there."

New interactive map

The Grand River Conservation Foundation, in partnership with the GRCA, has posted an interactive map online that shows commemorative benches and trail markers available for donations or sponsorships. 

The sponsorships are available along the Cambridge to Paris rail trail and part of the Brantford to Hamilton rail trail.  

Paul Salvini, the chair of the Grand River Conservation Foundation board, says donations help support the ongoing maintenance of the GRCA trails.

That includes "planting trees and restoring habitats to protect the trails that we all love so much," Salvini said.

"Commemorative benches and kilometre sponsorships are a unique way to honour or celebrate a loved one, beloved pet or lifetime milestone event," he added.

"We look forward to seeing new heartwarming commemorations come in and hearing the stories that connect people in our community to the trails."

WATCH | This woman honoured her late husband with a commemorative bench along a bike trail:

This woman honoured her late husband with a commemorative bench along a bike trail

7 months ago

Duration 0:43

The Grand River Conservation Authority has created a new online map that outlines locations of commemorative benches and trail markers. People can make a donation and honour a loved one by sponsoring a bench. Shirley Dodman made a donation for a commemorative bench in honour of her late husband Tom Simon who was killed in a hit-and-run collision in Florida in 2020. The bench is located on the Brantford/Hamilton Rail Trail where Shirley and Tom cycled regularly.

Dodman said she donated $3,000 for the bench and it will be there for 10 years with an opportunity for her and her family to renew. The hardest part for Dodman and her family was to decide on a quote they wanted to put on the bench.

"You're limited to the number of characters that you can put on this bench and so we were trying to figure out what would really capture his life," Dodman said.

"Finally we decided on: 'Tom Simon — Life is a beautiful ride.' And I think that does capture it. Tom loved life and he loved cycling so it just all came together."

LISTEN | Woman shares her personal story about a commemorative bench along a GRCA trail:

The Morning Edition - K-W5:22Commemorative benches and trails along the Grand River Conservation Authority trails. A personal story.

The Grand River Conservation Authority has created a new online map that outlines locations of commemorative benches and trail markers. People can make a donation and honour a loved one. Shirley Dodman got a memorial bench for her husband.