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What to do with the ashes?

(32 Posts)
Mishap Wed 21-Aug-13 16:25:44

When my Mum died she had stated where she wanted her ashes scattered and we honoured her wishes.

Dad had nothing to say on the subject. He was an unsentimental and practical man and it is hard to know what to do with them, as there is really nowhere that he had a particular link with. His house is being sold, so the garden there is not appropriate. And where my Mum's ashes went is not particularly appropriate for many reasons. He was not religious, so a churchyard would not be the thing. And my guess is that he would not favour a cemetery as he would not really see a stone of any kind as being his thing.

It feels quite hard this.

NfkDumpling Sat 24-Aug-13 20:25:33

Aurelia I think those who manage to come to terms with their own deaths are fortunate indeed. I hope if you succeed you won't need to put it to the tests for a very long time.

NfkDumpling Sat 24-Aug-13 20:17:12

I'm glad Mishap that you've made the decision and that it's a lovely spot that you can visit when you need to feel close.

It was so much easier for me with mum and dad as they always made it clear they wanted to be buried together at their church.

NfkDumpling Sat 24-Aug-13 20:10:39

That's it Bikergran - Sounds perfect - they can be divided into 3 - one for each DC!

Just told DH - he just looked skyward. (He seems to be that a lot)

Aurelia Sat 24-Aug-13 00:09:41

My darling Dad had sailed the world as a Merchant Seaman, so when he died I packed his ashes into a box with rosebuds and family memorabielia, and sent him sailing once again on the sea currents around the world.
I often think of him, every day in fact, and hope his spirit is happy and free, enjoying the tropical storms and the icy arctic blasts.

I hope someone will be kind to me too, and set my spirit free on a sweet mountain meadow, with Heidi and Uncle Peter laughing nearby, or on a warm tropical island with R L Stevenson as my generous host.
As you can see, I have not come to terms with my own death yet, but hope to, soon.

bikergran Fri 23-Aug-13 22:33:59

NfkDumpling the ashes are in a sort of blue spiral shape in the middle of a clear glass paperweight,theres not a lot of the ashes but it does make a nice ornament...you wouldn't know what they were inside the paperweight unless someone told you. it is very tastefull done.

bikergran Fri 23-Aug-13 22:29:58

I know it's not really funny but!!
I think it may have been the Bella magazine!!

think it was 3 sisters, they had their mums ashes (well some of them) put inside 3 lockets that the sisters wore round their necks!
they were having a meal all together at one of the sisters homes,
the host had made mashed potato and what ever else they had I don't know...but partway through the meal..one of the sisters remarked about the "black pepper" on the mash as she was eating, the host said that she hadn't used any "black pepper"!!! it was then that the other sister realised that her lockets seal had some how become "unsealed" and that the "black pepper" was in fact her mums ashes that had leaked out of the locket!!! shock honestly! I havn't made it up..it was a featured story!!!! Im sure it was Bella mag..but can't quite rem and it was some years ago.

Galen Fri 23-Aug-13 15:32:46

I scattered Petes ashes off Berry head from our boat. Then sold her!

gracesmum Fri 23-Aug-13 14:57:40

Rather like your decision to "keep them together", Mishap but for a variety of reasons, we chose to disregard both my mother's and my FIL's wishes in this respect. FIL wanted his ashes scattered half way between England and France as he felt he belonged in both countries, but after he died we ( the whole family) took the decision to bury his ashes in a family grave in Ringwood where his parents and our baby son were both buried. MIL's ashes have since joined them and this way we have a lovely Celtic Cross with all their names on and one place to visit. My Mum wanted her ashes to be taken to her home city of Berlin and had admitted it was a devious way of getting Dad to visit the city one more time. Again, I ignored this after her death (sorry Mum) and her ashes stayed at the undertaker's until after Dad's death 8 years later when I carried one urn under each arm and had them scattered/buried in a patch of earth at the foot of my Scottish grandparent's grave - again the headstone has all 4 names. I felt it was important to have one place for me, our children or future generations to visit - if they ever want to and for their names and dates to be recorded. Us? I know DH wants to be buried and I have no strong views either way, but I think the Green Burial ground in nearby Olney will be our choice with a nice tree to remember us by.

Mishap Fri 23-Aug-13 14:30:53

Good lord shysal - I had no idea that these options existed!

Nfk - we have now decided to do exactly as you have suggested, even though there were some "challenges", shall we say, in the marriage. But my Dad also liked this place, so that is what we will do. We will once again try and do it surreptitiously for various reasons!

shysal Fri 23-Aug-13 07:58:18

www.mysterywatch.co.uk/human-ashes-cremains/4553133229
Here are some ideas.

NfkDumpling Fri 23-Aug-13 07:02:17

Day's? How on earth did Mr IPad turn dad into day's?!

NfkDumpling Fri 23-Aug-13 07:01:29

Mishap surely (assuming your parents still cared for each other) the best place to scatter your day's ashes would be where your mum choose? Is it a nice spot?

NfkDumpling Fri 23-Aug-13 06:55:32

Love that idea Biker. I think I'll put it in my will. I'll become an heirloom! And £200 is a lot cheaper than a headstone. I had liked the idea of the ashes being put into a firework - but a paperweight is inspired!

bikergran Thu 22-Aug-13 21:38:59

a paper weight! that's what my friend did! she had some of her husbands ashes put inside a glass paperweight smile they offered the service at the funeral place ( although I believe it costs £200) !

Gagagran Thu 22-Aug-13 19:12:54

My Great Aunt kept her husband's ashes on the mantelpiece in her living room. Then she met her second husband, when she was well over 60. (He took her on a world cruise for their honeymoon) grin

She then relegated Uncle to the garden shed and he was only returned to the living room after her second husband died.

Eventually he was scattered into her grave when she was buried, at her request.

shysal Thu 22-Aug-13 18:36:04

My father's ashes were scattered on a cliff top in a place he loved on the south coast. Unfortunately the wind blew them inland onto a family's picnic. My Dad would have been very amused!

MrsSB Thu 22-Aug-13 18:09:15

When my mum died Dad just left it to the Crematorium to deal with her ashes, he didn't want to do anything with them.

However, when Dad died earlier this year. my sisters and I had a lovely weekend away and scattered his ashes on a very quiet part of a beach where he enjoyed going on holiday with mum, and in the county where he grew up. We sort of felt we'd taken him home, and we thought he would have been very pleased that we'd all had such a lovely weekend together too.

Jendurham Thu 22-Aug-13 00:06:32

My parents' ashes went into the River Humber, just at the base of the Humber Bridge. My dad was a coach driver and took a party of bigwigs there when they opened the bridge. There's a nice country park there, where we used to go when we were kids, before the bridge was built.
Ken died 19 months ago, and I still have his, as I do not know where to put them. I can think of a few places, but feel the need to have them all in the same place, so I'd better not say where I'm thinking of putting them, just in case I am not allowed.
I have bought a quarter acre of woodland in his name, the Woodland Trust, but we cannot get there in the winter when it's thick with snow.
We have also bought a seat at Beamish, where we take the grandkids to have picnics and they say goodbye to Grandad when we leave.

merlotgran Wed 21-Aug-13 21:45:27

My sis-in-law agonised over where to scatter her father's ashes when he died last year. She then remembered the lovely times they had at a local river where he taught the children to canoe so that's where they scattered them.

I want mine scattered on St. Boniface down, overlooking Ventnor on the Isle of Wight.

grannyactivist Wed 21-Aug-13 21:40:38

Mishap I expect your dad would be quite happy if you pleased yourself about where his ashes go. If he didn't trust your judgement on this I think he would have left instructions. Put them where you'll be happy to have them. smile

Granny23 Wed 21-Aug-13 19:47:58

My Dad's ashes are on the Golf Course that was his favourite place (We have a seat in his memory there too). My Mum's are half way up the hill behind our houses. I have asked for mine to be scattered into the sea so that bits of me can travel to all the places I have never been.

kittylester Wed 21-Aug-13 18:56:26

We have, nearby, a Natural Burial Ground which lots of people use to scatter ashes. It is unlikely to be built on, is a beautiful spot and very peaceful for a visit. I'd like to be 'scattered' there. sunshine

petallus Wed 21-Aug-13 18:48:14

I've given some thought to where I would want my ashes to be scattered when I die and just can't think of anywhere.

Iam64 Wed 21-Aug-13 18:47:03

Mishap, sorry to hear about the loss of your father. The advice to do nothing right now is helpful. We didn't know what to do with dad's ashes, and the funeral parlour took care of them for us until we had talked things through, a lot, before deciding what we felt dad would have wanted.

Aka Wed 21-Aug-13 18:43:51

Mishap sorry about the loss of your father. I'd do nothing with them just yet. Unless there's a reason why not hold onto them while you have a think about what to do with them?