The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #12691   Message #102037
Posted By: Jasper
03-Aug-99 - 05:39 PM
Thread Name: Gravestone Symbology-FYI
Subject: RE: Gravestone Symbology-FYI
The relevance to this thread is somewhat tenuous but what the hey. I've always thought I'd like to be cremated and have my ashes spread over a certain lake in northern Canada that I have been fishing on for almost 20 years now.

My father, who is a physician, loves to tell this story whenever someone talks about being cremated. One of his patients passed away (dad hasn't lost a patient yet, some don't get better - but he always knows where they are.) This particular patient had been a pilot for many, many years and had expressed the wish that his ashes be scattered from his airplane over his farm. A pilot was hired to fly the airplane and the wife and two children dutifully took off in the airplane carrying the ash urn over the farmland to perform this final ritual. The windows on a Cessna 182 open outwards setting up quite a windstorm in the cabin at 125 mph. When the urn was opened to distribute the ashes - POOF - said ashes were distributed not over the farmland but over the interior (and occupants) of the aircraft.

I think I'll ask to have my ashes quietly tipped over the side of the boat. Stationary boat.