Published Thirsday, May 1, 2025
Have you ever passed by a dedicated bench at the Conservatory and wondered about the story behind the touching, personal inscription? One of these benches and its heartfelt engraving honors the lives of Betty and Bill Sims, their story deeply rooted in Franklin Park and the Conservatory.
If you find yourself walking through the Grand Mallway at the Conservatory, you might come across the bench dedicated to Betty and Bill Sims, engraved:
In loving memory of Betty and Bill Sims
Who dearly loved this park.
Spent their childhood climbing these trees and
Senior years planting flowers to beautify these gardens.
This bench holds the story of two special people who grew up and grew old with Franklin Park and the Conservatory. Bill Sims grew up just a few blocks from Franklin Park, on Oak Street, throughout the 1930s and 40s, attending East High School. Growing up, Franklin Park was young Bill’s playground, where he climbed trees, played ball with friends, and spent hours swimming and skating in the pond. Bill loved to tell the story of wrapping the rims of his bike in rags to make up for the missing tires, because nothing could keep him from the park!
After serving in the Navy during the Korean War, Bill returned home to Columbus and met Betty, his wife of 73 wonderful years. Betty and Bill settled down in Whitehall with their three children, and once they were retired and empty-nesters, they moved to Bexley, just down the road from the Conservatory. With a long-standing love for all things gardening, Betty and Bill were thrilled to attend the 1992 Ameriflora international horticulture exposition at Franklin Park. There, they heard then-President George H.W. Bush’s speech, and enjoyed the fascinating, colorful plantings throughout the park and Conservatory. Deeply inspired after attending Ameriflora ‘92, Betty and Bill decided to spend the rest of their retirement years as volunteers at Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens.
Living in Bexley, Betty and Bill rode their bikes, this time with real tires, two to three times a week to the Conservatory for their volunteer shifts. Spring through fall, they helped maintain the gardens, planting tulips, begonias, daffodils, and irises. Each spring, they helped give out hundreds of tulip bulbs to the public, and loved being able to share the beauty of this process with others. As volunteers for over ten years, Betty and Bill developed friendships and memories with other volunteers and visitors, and left a lasting legacy in their service and love for Franklin Park and the Conservatory.
After more than ten years of seasonal volunteering, time caught up and Betty and Bill put down their shovels in the early 2000s. However, their hearts never left the park.
After Bill passed away at age 94, Betty wanted to honor his lifelong bond to Franklin Park, along with their countless memories made together volunteering in the gardens. In November 2024, Betty donated a bench at the Conservatory, placing it looking towards the gardens where they spent countless hours planting, weeding, and making memories. After a cold winter, Sharon, Betty and Bill’s daughter, took a trip to the Conservatory with Betty to see their dedicated bench for the first time in March 2025. Bill and Betty talked many times about having their names on a bench at the Conservatory, and their wish came to fruition. During their visit to see their bench, Betty was touched to see other visitors using the bench to rest and take in the nature surrounding them. That is exactly how she and Bill envisioned it.
The bench sits amongst one of Betty and Bill’s favorite and most memorable places, and honors their service that helped make the Conservatory gardens the haven they are today, their love for each other, and their love for Franklin Park.
If you need a place to rest during your visit to the Conservatory, you can find Betty and Bill’s bench in the Grand Mallway, where you can take a moment to enjoy the gardens they helped maintain for ten memorable years.
Written in collaboration with Betty and Bill’s daughter, Sharon S. Sims.
Interested in dedicating a memorial bench? Contact Marly Coldiron, Individual Giving Manager, at [email protected].