Latest news with #ashes
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Widow Demands Her Kids Get a Share of Late Husband's Ashes Despite His Dying Wish Stating Otherwise
Her father wanted her to have half his ashes, while the other half would go to his wife Despite legal protection of his wishes, her stepmother keeps harassing her to divide her portion She's accused of punishing her half-siblings, but says she's just honoring her dad — and protecting her peaceA woman turns to the Reddit community for support after a deeply personal family dispute over her late father's ashes leaves her feeling conflicted and alone. In her post, she shares that her dad's passing has reopened old wounds, especially regarding her relationship with his second wife and their children. 'My dad died recently and he appointed his brother, my uncle, to ensure his final wishes were respected,' she writes. She explains that her father was married twice: first to her mother, who passed away when she was 3, and then to his second wife, whom he married when she was 15. The relationship with her stepmother was never easy, and the arrival of her half-siblings did little to bridge the gap. 'Dad and I had a solid relationship but she and I did not and I really never had one with the other kids either,' the woman reveals. Her father's final wishes were clear and carefully planned. 'His wishes were for half his ashes to go to his wife so she could start a grave for them and the other half was for me so he could also be with mom,' she explains, adding, 'My mom was cremated too and I have her ashes as well.' This arrangement, however, did not sit well with her father's widow, who tried to claim all the ashes for herself. 'But my dad had planned everything and had legally ensured his wishes were followed with the help of my uncle,' she notes, grateful for the foresight that protected her father's intentions. After the funeral, she made the difficult decision to cut off contact with her stepmother in an attempt to seek peace and closure for herself. Regardless, her stepmom has contacted her "at least 11 times," saying that she "needs to share my half of the ashes with my half-siblings because they have none and we each have half." She tried to block her stepmother, but the messages kept coming from new numbers, making it impossible to escape the pressure. 'I am trying to get my number changed but I use this phone for work too so I need a process of approval to do it,' she explains. Her aunt, her father's sister, also got involved in the conflict, suggesting that they "combine dad's ashes and split them four ways so everyone gets the same amount." When the poster said no, her aunt said that she "shouldn't take my hatred of wife number two out on the kids." Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The aunt also voiced her disapproval over the poster's decision to cut ties with her stepmom and half-siblings. However, the poster has done her best to make it clear that her boundaries are about self-preservation, not spite. Now she's wondering if her refusal to share her half of her father's ashes makes her the villain in this painful family saga. However, most commenters suggested that her stepmom simply shares her portion of the ashes with their children, noting that it's not the poster's "responsibility." "You share my thoughts," the poster replied. "It makes more sense that way seeing as they're her kids and she wants them to have their own share." In response to another user, the woman further explains that her late dad "wanted to honor both [his] wives," which was why "he chose to have his ashes with both." Read the original article on People
Daily Mail
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
People in tears after message in a bottle washes on beach sharing 'utterly heartbreaking' message
People have been sharing sweet messages after seeing a bottle washing up on a beach. According to BBC Manchester, the bottle of ashes was sent out to sea by Cara Melia, 24, from Oldham. Cara revealed that her mother, 51-year-old Wendy Chadwick, had never been able to realise her dream of travelling the world during her lifetime, because of her responsibilities as a single parent of five. So in a poignant move following Wendy's death from an undiagnosed heart condition, Cara put her mother's ashes in a bottle. She accompanied the cremains with a sweet note, which read: 'This is my mum. Throw her back in - she's travelling the world. Thanks Cara, Oldham.' Cara then put the bottle in the sea at Skegness, saying she anted to see where Wendy 'ends up'. Just 12 hours later, someone found the bottle on the same beach. They shared the story on Facebook, where their post went viral. The bottle has since been returned to the sea, with Cara telling BBC Radio Manchester she hopes it will travel further this time. 'Life happened and my mum never got a chance to travel,' Cara said. 'Nobody was meant to find her for a bit - she was meant to be in a completely different country. 'I'd love her to end up on a beach in Barbados or Spain, which would definitely take a while.' Describing her mother, Cara said she was 'very quirky' and that she loved the beach and sun. She added that she had been surprised about how viral the Facebook post as gone, saying she had not expected the story to touch so many people. In a post shared about the story on the BBC's Instagram page, people shared some sweet messages. One Instagram user described the bottle of ashes and accompanying messages as 'heartbreakingly beautiful' One wrote: 'That's so heartbreakingly beautiful.' Another added: 'Absolutely beautiful. And absolutely heartbreaking. 'I hope people respect this. 'Enjoy your travels Wendy Chadwick - have the fun and adventures you clearly deserve.' In a similar vein, a third added: 'Love this!! I really hope she gets to visit some far and distant shores!!' 'Maybe I'll have my ashes travel like this! I love the water,' wrote another. A further Instagram user simply wrote: 'So beautiful.' Sharing their own similar experience, one respondent added: 'That's lovely. My sister and I took some of Mum's ashes to some of the most beautiful places in the world bc she didn't get to travel either.' Further posters shared well wishes. One said: 'May she encounter kind souls to continue her journey.'
CBS News
05-06-2025
- General
- CBS News
More than 500 boxes of ashes from Chicago Heights crematory never made it to families
Hundreds of bodies cremated at the Heights Crematory in Chicago Heights, Illinois, never made it to their loved ones. The crematory was shut down after the CBS News Chicago Investigators exposed how bodies were being mishandled there. Now, there is an effort to find a final resting place for those whose bodies were cremated. When the State of Illinois shut down the crematory, they found more than 500 boxes lying in filth behind closet doors — each belonging to some family somewhere because they were filled with ashes of their deceased loved ones. Some of those ashes have yet to be identified, but the ones that have been identified are now ready to be picked up at the Cook County Medical Examiner's office. Cook County Chief Medical Examiner Ponni Arunkumar has been tasked with identifying boxes filled with bags of ashes, along with bodies which were found at Heights Crematory. The remains were confiscated and sent to the morgue after the state shut the operation down in March for mishandling bodies. Arunkumar said she had never seen anything like it before. CBS News Chicago has been investigating Heights Crematory since February, after obtaining photos of bodies mishandled and left stacked in dirty trailers in ways that violated state law. The photos showed bodies in sheets, and some of them contained bugs. "The mission of our office is to treat people with dignity and respect, and it's disheartening to see the condition of the cremains and the bodies," said Arunkumar. Dr. Arunkumar said her staff found some of the remains were decades old, but never got to their loved ones. Arunkumar also said some of the boxes containing the remains were very dirty. She got emotional talking about the condition of the boxes. "They were covered with mold and bugs, and we actually used specialty services to come in and kind of disinfect the boxes," Arunkumar said. Tabitha Mathis' mother, Patsy Hughes, died 15 months ago. Her ashes were among the boxes stored at the Medical Examiner's office. "It's horrifying to see her like this," said Mathis. "I have never cried so hard in my life." Mathis said Heights' owners ghosted her after she kept calling for her mom's remains, and then when she saw our CBS News Chicago investigation, a grim reality sank in. "And there's all these other people in there in a closet waiting to be claimed?" Mathis said. "It's disgusting. It's sad. I don't know how a human being could treat another human being like this." There are six boxes the county has not been able to identify. There were also 10 bodies that have now been identified. Investigators said Heights Crematory had names misspelled, and some lacked the required paperwork. A hearing is set for June 24 to determine if the license for Heights Crematory will be permanently revoked.
Daily Mail
25-05-2025
- Daily Mail
She ate her cheating husband's ashes in a fit of rage and despair... now a chilling wave of women's confessions is emerging
Jessica Waite stunned readers when she confessed last year to doing the unthinkable. She had furiously stirred dog feces into a portion of her cheating husband's ashes and thrown the sordid mixture into the trash - then, in a moment of guilt and despair, took out more of his remains and ate them.
