“You can imagine, I [was] at the height [of success],” remembers Rob. “And then one call. Boom. It’s done.”

In the months and years that followed, Sims struggled with the void left by his father, who was also a professional football player, known in his playing days as the “Gentle Giant.”

“He was just the best person you would ever meet,” Sims said. “He would take anybody in. He would feed anybody, clothe anybody—anything he could do.”

In His Father’s Memory

He came to realize that the energy he spent grieving could be better used to help others also dealing with loved ones passing—the way his father would have done.

Sims now honors his father by making a difference in his community. Funds raised through an annual golf outing have established a scholarship program at the local community college and supported Cornerstone of Hope — a grief center for children, teens and adults.

Leave Your Mark

Sims reminds others what it means to be a father—creating memories with his wife and children, helping to provide financial security to his family, contributing service to his community—these will last long after a man is gone.

“Everybody’s got a time, everybody has got a day when it’s going to be over,” Sims says. “But you leave your mark, just by being the person you are while you’re here and setting your family up for the future.”

“You can imagine, I’m at the height [of success], you know what I mean?” remembers Rob. “And then one call. Boom. It’s done.”

In the months and years that followed, Sims struggled with the void left by his father, known in his playing days as the “Gentle Giant,” whom Sims remembers as “a real country man” from Union, South Carolina.

“He was just the best person you would ever meet,” Sims said. “He would take anybody in. He would feed anybody, clothe anybody, anything he could do.”

Finding help, delivering a message of hope

Despite his success in the years following his father’s passing, Sims found himself feeling empty – until he was able to work through his long-standing grief and focus his attention back out to the community, living the way his father would have lived and helping others who suffer loss like he did.

Sims and his family have learned to take their love of Mickey and focus it outward. Now, Sims honors his father by helping others who are on the same journey and raising funds for Cornerstone of Hope so that it can help others find peace.

Cornerstone of Hope, in Cleveland, Ohio, was founded by Mark Tripodi and his wife, Christy, after the loss of their son. The organization is supported by State Farm.

“When we tried to find support in our town, in our community, it was exhausting,” Tripodi remembers. “I’m proud to say that we’ve been in the community for many years now. And all of our programs are geared towards serving grieving children, teens and adults.”

A father’s lasting legacy

And Sims reminds others through his words and deeds what it means to be a father and to leave a lasting legacy: from the memories of a life well lived that children carry, to ensuring the economic security of the family through life insurance and financial responsibility, to doing good works in the community that last long after a man is gone.

“Everybody’s got a time, everybody has got a day when it’s going to be over,” Sims says. “But you leave your mark, just by being the person you are while you’re here and setting your family up for the future.”

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