“I met Katie when she came over to meet my roommate’s pup, Cole. We hit it off right away and I asked her to the movies.”

The relationship blossomed - and in 2011 the pair wed.

“Marrying Katie was a packaged deal. I got a wonderful wife and her Labrador border collie mix, Riley,” smiled Stephen. "I became an instant dog dad.”

Life marched on. Stephen worked as a contractor. Katie, an accountant. “Great with numbers, wise with money - that’s Katie.” So it didn’t surprise Stephen when Katie arranged a meeting for the couple to discuss their financial goals with State Farm® agent Rose Goheen.

“I knew Katie before she met Stephen, because I helped write her homeowners insurance,” said Rose. “She was analytical, logical, and practical. She wanted to ensure they had a strong financial foundation.”

During the meeting, they discussed life insurance. That didn’t sit well with Stephen. “I thought the whole thing was a waste of time and money,” he said. "I told Katie, ‘We’re young! We’re healthy. We don’t need this.’”

Katie won the debate. They took out two term policies. Life marched on.

In 2014, the Millers celebrated the birth of their first child, a son named Chase. Shortly after, they met Rose for another financial review.

“Stephen and Katie did it right. Life insurance matters. It is important to look at policies to determine a comfortable figure for your budget and changing circumstances,” said Rose.

Three years later, the Millers welcomed their second child, Reid. “It was an exciting, busy time,” said Stephen. “But we had health concerns about Katie.”

A few months after giving birth to Reid, doctors found a tumor near Katie’s stomach. Following surgery and testing, it was determined to be Ewing’s Sarcoma. The rare cancer, which occurs in and around the bones had metastasized to other parts of Katie’s body.

“The word cancer…it’s numbing,” said Stephen. “But Katie never lost her light.”

With the help and support of family, friends and her medical team, Katie fought the disease hard. But the cancer continued to spread. On July 28, 2018, Katie passed away at the age of 30.

Her final request was to remember the good times, remember her.

“We continue to do that every day,” said Stephen. “I started a nonprofit called ‘Katie’s Crew.’ Its purpose is to raise awareness and support for cancer research. We will win this fight.”

Stephen says Katie’s legacy is all around him. And, her forward thinking, to ensure they had life insurance means the family is secure and protected.

“Chase, Reid, Riley and I can stay in our house. I’m so grateful for that sense of the familiar during this unbelievably hard time,” said Stephen. “Because Katie thought ahead, Chase and Reid can go to college. Their education is taken care of. We also have the financing to take vacations, and do fun activities. I know Katie would want that. Because of life insurance coverage, our boys are protected. My wife was right all along.”

And, as life continues to march on, Stephen says the joy Katie brought to the world continues to be recognized and celebrated by those near and far.

“She taught us so much. Taught us how to appreciate the small things, laugh whenever possible and love always,” said Stephen. "Her legacy will never be forgotten.”

“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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