Curbside memorial for FSU student stands strong: 'That's our Ellie, stronger than a tornado'

The rain came. Next, the wind.

Then the tornadoes.

Friday's storms cleared, unveiling mass destruction around Tallahassee. But the memorial for Florida State University student Elizabeth "Ellie" Sims remained intact.

"That's our Ellie. Stronger than a tornado," said her mom, Kristen Sims.

The memorial stands at the intersection of Lorene and West Pensacola streets; a mound of flowers encircles a pedestrian crossing sign, beside the crosswalk where a driver struck and killed Ellie last month.

A portrait of the 20-year-old sophomore is taped on the pole rising from those flowers, right below the button that prompts flashing lights warning that someone is walking across.

"I think it's a beautiful, poetic moment when they press the light and are able to think of Ellie for a moment," said Anna Sims, her older sister, who was on the Tuesday evening phone interview with her mom.

"When I woke up and heard about the tornadoes, I was really nervous that the whole memorial would have just been thrown down the street. But it looks almost identical to when we were there."

Leaving flowers before leaving

On Tuesday morning, recent FSU graduates Addison Sailer and Parker Apple placed fresh flowers on the memorial. They didn't know Ellie, but it was their last day in Tallahassee, and the two friends wanted to pay their respects before leaving.

"As FSU students, when one of us passes, it affects everyone. I feel like we're all family here," said Apple, who was headed for Tampa. "She seemed like a great girl."

"We're all so deeply affected by it, even weeks after," added Sailer, whose destination was Arizona. "We pass this every day."

"All of us use this crosswalk," Apple added. "It could have been any of us."

That's why Ellie's family is pushing for a stoplight to be put in at that intersection and speedbumps placed before it.

"They have developed that College Town area so much," Kristen Sims said. "They have not put in the infrastructure to handle all of the students that take that route."

"I just feel like the students deserve better than that," said Anna Sims, a recent graduate herself of West Kentucky University. "Ellie deserved better than that."

A petition for a stoplight on Change.org has nearly 25,000 signatures. It was made on April 29, the same day Ellie died.

Commissioner says more needs to be done: Tallahassee City Commissioner Jack Porter calls for more pedestrian, bicyclist safety

Driver who killed Ellie arrested: FSU student killed in crosswalk after hit-and-run; TPD arrests 18-year-old

Community support 'means so much'

Ellie Sims was born in Tallahassee but raised in St. Augustine and Franklin, Tennessee.

"She always wanted to come back to Florida," said her mom, a special education teacher who is also working on getting a graduate degree in education.

They did a tour of state universities. FSU offered a good scholarship and a spot in its Honors College.

"We visited it a second time and saw how beautiful it was," Kristen Sims continued. "The fact that it was in Tallahassee, where she was born, was just kind of a coincidence."

She became a member of FSU's Alpha Chi Omega sorority and studied abroad during the 2023 spring semester.

"You were truly the epitome of an Alpha Chi Omega: involved with FSU Honors College, FSU (Center for Health Advocacy and Wellness), an avid runner, an entrepreneurship student, and a fashionista," the sorority wrote in a Facebook post.

"We will forever miss your infectious smile, jamming out while meal prepping in the kitchenette and (your) positive presence that lit up every room."

When Ellie's family came to Tallahassee after her death, Kristen said they were "broken, hurting and so scared."

Then came the support from the FSU community.

"It means everything," Kristen said. "It's really what's keeping us going, the support and the love."

Hearing about the recent graduates leaving flowers "means so much" to her.

"We felt very drawn to that memorial," she said. "We wanted to be there. And when we were there, people would gather around. People were already sitting there when we got there ... It was a beautiful thing in a time of absolute sorrow and pain."

Anna Sims said the fact it still stood was a huge weight off her shoulders. But she and her mom weren't necessarily surprised.

"She just had a fiery spirit," Kristen said. "She had a fierceness about her. You know, she was not a shy little wallflower. And we loved her for that."

This reporting content is supported by a partnership with Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners. USA TODAY Network-Florida First Amendment reporter Douglas Soule can be reached at DSoule@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU student memorial stands strong despite Tallahassee tornadoes