Last week we told you the heartwarming story about Darren Simms.
The avid hockey fan had been admitted into the Nipissing Serenity Hospice and that organization along with the Community Paramedicine program and the North Bay Battalion joined forces to create a special memory for Darren at Memorial Gardens one last time in a Battalion 4-3 shootout win over the Niagara IceDogs.
See: Cheering for his team one last time
Less than a week later on February 7, Simms passed away at the hospice.
However, while his family was mourning his loss, Simms relatives ended up finding out someone had broken into Darren's apartment and stolen his sports memorabilia collection which included hockey cards, many of which he had autographed personally at events at the North Bay Boart Longyear Memorial Gardens.
Kyla Giguere, Darren's niece, notified the social media world about the theft Friday morning.
"My uncle Darren Simms passed away last Friday, February 7 his obituary was posted Tuesday, and on Wednesday, we found out his apartment had been broken into," she stated about the apartment that was located on Second Avenue East in North Bay.
"His prized possessions - his hockey cards - were stolen. We are disgusted and appalled at this and can’t believe someone could stoop so low. If anyone sees a bunch of hockey cards for sale, please reach out."
Giguere says the police have been notified and officials at North Bay's lone sports card store, Ultimate Sportscards, have been notified to be on the lookout.
Some of his personally autographed cards were from former NHLer Tom McCarthy along with some autographed Team Canada cards of Jayna Hefford and VickI Sunohara.
The collection included framed autographed cards from Mike Cammalleri, along with multiple cards, sets, and binders full of hockey cards from the late 1980s and 1990s.
Anyone with information relating should call the North Bay City Police at (705) 497-5555.