Nathan Charles Sims

Once upon a time there lived a prince, handsome, courageous, shiverlas, blaha blaha

blaha. Unfortunately this isn't a story of a prince, although many will now say we viewed him as

such. This, my friends, is the story of the storyteller. The wielder of tall tall tales, the bringer of

fantasy, love, beauty and peace. This is the story of Nathan.

Many of us will remember our dear friend Darryl, first upon meeting him he warned that

not all tales are false yet not all stories are true. As is in the case of the moose, for we all know

Nathan was a brave and fearsome hunter! However this fateful day our storyteller fell asleep

stalking his mighty prey. Yet his great and loving foe took pity upon our sleeping friend, picked

him up in his antlers to drop him at his home. At the very feet of the father and mother he loved

so dear.

This storyteller of ours, this fantastic and beautiful man, climbed mountains with the

Sherpa, advised our Wiliam Gates, invested in a young Elon Musk, rode the wilderness with

Sheryl Crow and saved many soldiers from their fates. Oh and yes was never shy to save his

lady love from the strongest gang of the day.

Today we’re here to mourn our husband, our father and our son. Our brother and our

uncle and of course our dearest friend. A man who lived through legend and definitely burned to

bright, he left us far too early extinguishing his light. Yet how could he not when a thousand lives

he’s led every story apart of him growing day by day.

We could live to be 100. He'd out live us all, out smile us, out love us and definitely out

fight us…….. Or so he’d have us believe. Good night my dear dear friend, I know you loved us

the best that you could. Just please remember when next we meet, I expect some tall tall tales

and stories with rust upon their feet.

Hello I’m Eileen, and Nathan is my brother in law. Thankyou for coming today to honor Nathan’s life.

I would like to read an Irish Blessing from Heather, Nathan’s mom:

May the road rise up to meet you.

May the wind be always at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face; the rains fall soft upon your fields

and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand.

The first time I met Nathan was 22 years ago. He was surrounded by many of friends at a party at his house on Donegal, there was much music, fun and lots of shenanigans that evening. He was “The life of the party” with the most contagious smile. He welcomed me with a giant hug and said “Thanks for bringing John”. This later would become a joke of sort that I always “brought John”. I liked him right away!

As I got to know Nathan during my courtship with John, I very quickly realized that the very first time I met Nathan was the true genuine person that he was; a good friend too many, always lending a hand, fun, adventurous, caring and full of stories. This has resonated through every phone call, text and message of condolence. Nathan touched many lives with his unconditional kindness and his huge welcoming heart.

Nathan always made me feel like I was part of his circle friends and family. Though we didn’t see each other often, I was never surprised when I got a phone call for a birthday or some event, family mattered and he always made the effort to say Hi, I miss and love you guys! He wore his emotion openly.

Brothers share a bond, a bond that grows and changes through time but in retrospect they are each other’s first best friends. They fight, support one another and grow into their lives based on their first experiences as brothers. Sometimes that takes them in different directions but the bond and love always remains. In the words of Nathans mom “Nathan sat at John’s bedside through his serious accident at 16 and refused to say goodbye, he did not want to give John a reason to die”. The countless hours of dedication he spent waiting for him to wake were noted by the doctors and nurses. That’s who Nathan was sensitive and compassionate. Years later when Nathan was fighting for his life in the ICU, John was also at his bedside sending him his strength and love to recover. They were connected.

Nathan’s mom Heather would always describe Nathan as small child skipping along....and John following with a scowl. Anyone that knew these brothers would know exactly what that looked like. Nathan’s aunt Pat said it was because John was always working and Nathan was always having fun, cracking a joke or smile to distract from the job at hand. Some things never changed.

When Nathan became a dad, his whole heart grew with pride. He never missed an opportunity to brag about Jack, Charlie, Braylin and Maddie. They were his world. He loved having the title “Dad”, I feel one of his greatest and proudest accomplishments. It was never lost on me how he desperately wanted to be the best father. Something I also learned about Nathan is that he loved deeply and was never afraid to let you know, so when he met Rhianna years later in their adult years, he was smitten. They’ve grown together and made many wonderful memories as a family. Your kids are amazing and we will always hold them a little tighter.

Everyone that knew Nathan, recognized he was a true lover of everything nature and what the outdoors had to offer, the woods, a smoldering campfire, hiking, fishing, dirt biking, snowmobiling and animals. When he found a cool spot, he was always so eager to talk about what it was like and you could feel his excitement. He was comfortable in those places and seemed to find peace and a place to quiet his mind. As a true outdoorsman he wore flannel and beanies, he could have easily modelled the look with his bright blue eyes and smile. Working with his dad’s company offered Nathan another opportunity to be outside, to work alongside his dad and to chat with the people he knew in the community. His presence in the company was a pride Dan often shared and I know Nathan shared as well. Anyone that worked with Nathan could easily offer a funny story or event that happened on the job site. That crew is still a crew even though much has changed over the years.

As I stand here today I’m sure everyone in this room at sometime has received a random message from Nathan with the lyrics of song, a youtube link of a song or even a call with a song. Nathan loved music! He loved to sing the lyrics and it was crazy that he remembered so many! He felt it and he expressed how he felt by choosing a song for the occasion or the company he was with. It was also never a surprise when he broke out the dance moves in the middle of a party or event. That’s just the kind of guy he was, fun and spontaneous! I think he should have been an entertainer.

As time passes we often take advantage that we have time to nurture our relationships that they will always be there. Life robs us of time so we need to take action now and remind those people close that they matter, they are loved and you are present. Today this weighs heavy on my heart.

I’ve been reflecting this week about conversations I’ve had with people who were close to Nathan or who were touched by his presence in their life.

Nathans struggle in his later years affected many people so I don’t want to leave today without reminding each person here today;

Addiction is really a horrible disease.

Grieving the loss of a person you love, while they are still with us is hard.

It never gets easier.

Yet, we go with it, we desperately try to fix it, we try to love them more, we try to forget, and still carry on

Loving and losing an addict changes you.

We’ve been robbed of many years of the Nathan we love.

But in all the chaos we knew Nathan, and he is still that person that we loved and loved us!

Cherish the memories of Nathan and feel comfort that he is free of his pain. My wish for everyone today is that the stories and memories will start to emerge and those stories will add a smile and a laugh and perhaps a song. I know that is what Nathan would want “A Celebration, a Party”.

He is our friend, father, partner, son, uncle, brother, nephew and cousin. We are so lucky!

In saying goodbye I would like to read the prelude from a Kenny Chesney song

“Not everything is meant to last

You don’t think about that when you are in the moment

And when it’s over there’s a huge hole

But there is also a pair of wings

Knowing you wherever you are

I know you are happy and flying free

And I’m here

Still grateful

Grateful for knowing you!

Cheers Nathan!

For Nathan

First, I want to say a few words on behalf of our dad, Dan. Like many men of his generation, our dad sometimes has a hard time finding his words, especially in front of people. I wanted to help him, in a small way, to capture his love for Nate and to honour all that they shared.

Along with Rhianna and Nate’s children, our dad will feel the loss of Nathan most acutely. They have been side by side, day in and day out for Nate’s whole life. While it isn’t always easy to work with family, the love and enduring closeness between Nate and his dad is something that can only be called unconditional. Our dad loved, protected, defended, and supported Nathan through all the challenges that life brought him. He refused to lose sight of the beautiful qualities that Nate had and did his best to make sure that no one else did either. They confided in each other about everything and always repaired their bond when it was tested by life and by running a tough and stressful business. That says so much about the two of them. It is easy to keep love strong and solid when life is gentle – much harder to do so when it isn’t. No one made our dad laugh like Nathan did. That first day that our dad had to go to work without him is something only he can possibly understand. Nathan was his dad’s best friend and his dad’s love, along with Rhianna’s, was a rare constant in Nate’s life. While no one can ever replace Nathan, Rhianna, John and Eileen, myself and Ian, and his grandchildren will do our best to be here with our dad and for him through this profound loss.

Nathan and I became family when our parents got together in the early 90s. As with many kids whose families reconfigure, I didn’t know what to expect and was a little anxious about how things would be. Nathan, immediately, welcomed me warmly and with genuine love and caring. In many blended families, it would be common to put “step” in front of “sister” to denote our relationship, however, Nate never did that. It was not his way to diminish a relationship that was important to him or the love he had for someone. He embraced me right away and the first thing he gave me was my introduction. I’m Nathan’s sister: Dee.

When Nate and I met, I was rounding out my teen years and Nate was in his early 20s. As is well-known, Nathan’s friends are vast in number and certainly were so at that time. His loyalty, empathy, generosity and willingness to go “all in” on things that were important to his friends meant that he was very popular – in the best sense. It is fair to say that I was not, and Nathan took great pains in his attempts to rectify this for me. Whereas most young people of his social standing would have been too busy enjoying themselves to worry about a determined wallflower, such as myself, many times Nathan loaded me into that old black Jeep and hauled me off to parties with his friends. He didn’t just abandon me once there, either. He walked me around, arm around my shoulders and introduced me to people he thought I would like. He stayed nearby and never left me to fend for myself. He loved his life and his friends and found so much happiness being in happy situations, and he wanted me to have that too. He wanted me to have what he had. Most people here know me, and so you know it was a lost cause. My introversion never really changed, and I was never cut out for Nate’s crowd – but that’s not what matters. He could have easily left this awkward, anxious mouse at home, but he didn’t. He saw something wonderful in me that he wanted other people to see too. If you’ve ever had someone literally pull you out of the shadows to be seen in their bright light, then you know what I’m talking about. If you haven’t, I hope you do.

Along with the friends Nathan wanted me to meet were the ones he didn’t think were a good idea. Around that same time, there was a boy working with Nathan – a cute boy – and I was subtly trying to be noticed by this boy. My subtlety, however, did not fool Nathan and he was on to me. One night, there were several of this group gathered at the shop and I was taking my time putting gas in my car. Nathan was having none of it. He came over and lectured me, as only big brothers can, that I was not to be “lingering” around “these guys”. He must have said it five or six times – “ no lingering”. He shuffled me off out of there and I was mildly annoyed. How was the cute boy going to notice me if I wasn’t “lingering”? But what I felt most of all was seen and protected. It was not a familiar experience for me to have someone pay close enough attention to see what was best for me and then make sure I did it – or didn’t do it in this case. It was a protective instinct that no one had shown me before Nathan and as reluctant as I was to give up on the cute boy, that gift from Nathan was far more important and stayed with me always. He showed me something that I came to know I should look for and expect in my important relationships. Without him, I don’t think I would have felt worthy of such expectations. He had a wisdom that came with his empathy that is very rare. He saw me as someone he wanted to protect – from people he knew weren’t good for me and from my own bad decisions. I hope all of us know that feeling – of having someone looking out for you even when you didn’t ask and aren’t particularly grateful for it at the time.

A wonderful thing about Nathan was his propensity to occasionally…”make improvements” upon the truth. This is something we all do. We all take reality and rewrite it so that it is easier on us, more acceptable, more interesting, or more exciting. What struck me about Nathan were the things he most often chose to include in his stories. If one of his friends had done something good, it was the greatest act of kindness that had ever happened. If they had done something strong, they were the strongest on the planet. If they were smart, their IQ was off the charts. If they were funny, they were of unparalleled comedic genius. If they did something remotely brave, they were a beacon of courage and if they were even a little bit tough, they were absolutely un-mess-with-able. It was like he looked for the things he wanted to see in us and wanted us to see in each other and then amplified those things as much as he could. By the time he was done telling our stories, we were superheroes. And sometimes he was the superhero in his own story, and fair enough. Like I said, we all write our own version of how we want things to be and to be remembered. The things we choose to selectively emphasize says a lot about us. For Nathan, more often than not, it was the good in the world and the best in us. He looked for beauty and tried to put more of it into his stories and out into the universe. I remember many times listening to him and suspecting that the tale he was telling had to be around 50% true, but you know…I can’t think of a time when I didn’t prefer his version, and I’d give anything to hear one more story now.

As often happens when loved ones leave us, people have been coming up to members of our family with stories about Nathan. One that was recently told to our Dad involved Nathan stopping to say hi to a roofer with whom he had worked in the past. The man was standing by his truck and explained to Nathan that he was almost finished applying sealant to the roof but couldn’t get to the last bit due to some bees flying around. So, naturally, up went Nathan to finish off the job and returned with his hands covered in bee stings and laughing about it. This is one small story, but it captures Nathan really well. Busy, but not too busy to stop and acknowledge a friend. Not too busy to haul himself up a ladder into a swarm of bees to help that friend and expect nothing for it. This was so common for him, that he might not have mentioned it at all, or if he did, it might have been a massive swarm of murder hornets that he fended off while swinging from the eaves of a seven-story house…either way…that was Nathan -always there for the people he cared about, always ready to help in any way he could, generous, kind, loving and good. A very bright light whose absence leaves a dim hollow. Loved more than he knew.

Today we celebrate you and your amazing self Nathan, my husband, father, son, brother, and dear friend.

I still can’t believe your gone. I wait for you for you to walk through the door after work with a big hug and hello and the candy and sweets you brought for the kids and me.

You maybe gone but never far. The Small things will be missed sharing with you, your kitchen messes after you cooked, your daily treasure finds, Family Dance nights and dancing, Family days, and Snowy days, fires, fishes, and our family sushi in bed nights. Your discovery of you tube and your obsession with sasquatch. Your crazy ideas that I was always against that would usually turn out to be a blast. Our long Chats about nothing, your huge hugs and telling me its going to be ok. Your hard work ethic and your absolute love for your children and family.

Most of all your little smirk that would get you out of everything and your huge heart, compassion, and empathy for others and your love in music to express how you felt.

We made a family together and you took the girls under your wing and loved them as your own. You gave me Jack who I cherish so much and love and am so very proud of. You gave me Charlie who everyday I get to hold and look at and get to have a daily reminder of you. I promise to continue to raise them with all our family and help them to be amazing humans and make you proud.

You gave me more then you will ever know Nathan. You taught me what real and unconditional love meant and strength. You have left us with so many memories and things to hold on too. Through the amazing, good, bad, and ugly we always pulled through together babe.

We will forever hold you tight and I am so unbelievable grateful for you and our love and our amazing children. You are my best friend, protector, and husband.

I know you will continue to watch over all of us and continue to protect us.

I love you forever, we love you forever.

Till our Souls meet again,

Rest easy my love with all those amazing souls.

* * * * * * * * * *

Passed away suddenly on Monday, August 15, 2022 at the age of 48. Beloved husband of Rhianna Young. Loving father of Jack Harris Sims and Charles Daniel Sims. Stepfather of Braylin Reese and Madelyn Grace Salisbury. Son of Heather Mullin (Dennis ”Moon”) and Dan Sims (Susan). Beloved brother of John Sims (Eileen) and Deanne McIssac (Ian). Step brother of Andrew McArthur. Nephew of Pat Jobe (Gary) and the late Betty Britnell (Doug). Grandson of the late Jack and Lillian O’Neil and Dan and Greta Sims. He will be lovingly remembered by many nieces, nephews and cousins. Uncle to Daniel, Ben, Austin, Delaney (Carl), Duane (Jess), Rayla, Mya, Lucy, Juniper, Melina, Ethan and Olivia. Great Uncle to Sailor and Aevah. Grandson of Mae Allen. Son-in-law of Deborah Young (Raymond), Rick Siegel (Annie). Brother-In-Law of Jesse Young (Lindsey), Cole Young (Tamiko) and Danielle Turpin (Dave).

Nathan had a great love for the outdoors and enjoyed nature and such activities as fishing and dirt biking. He will always be remembered for expressing his feelings and passion for music through the lyrics of a song.

His family and friends were deeply loved and cherished greatly. He will always be lovingly remembered for his huge heart, kindness and contagious smile. Nathan is loved and will be missed dearly.

Visitation will be held at Comstock-Kaye Life Celebration Centre, 356 Rubidge Street, Peterborough on Sunday, August 28, 2022 from 3:00pm to 6:00pm.

If desired, a memorial donation to Ducks Unlimited Canada would be greatly appreciated by the family.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.comstockkaye.com for the family.