Visited the pond yesterday. I knew I would not catch anything, but I love casting on the water. The bald eagles were there and the shorebirds, geese and grebes. I took down my rod, put it in the pickup and began to explore the shoreline looking for feathers. I found some great white ones and headed back to the truck. On the ground in the bushes was one of those gift boxes, the kind you buy already wrapped in gold foil. I went to fetch it to take it home to recycle it when I noticed a label on the box and two metal tags on the ground. Would you believe that I found someone’s ashes as in dead and cremated? There were still some ashes in the box, the discarded box laying there with all of the beer cans and bait containers. The metal tags have numbers on them denoting the dead person somehow. I took Agnes home with me and I will call the crematorium tomorrow. Perhaps there is some kind of protocol. Really, what will I do with a tablespoon of human ash? I suppose some relatives had cast Agnes to the wind, but then why not all of her and why leave the box and the tags with the trash? I hope that Agnes’ life was a happier one than this scenario brings to mind.
That’s too much. I guess one could be grateful it wasn’t Agnes’s body. Read the Saltwater column tomorrow.
LadyFisher, Publisher of
FAOL
Ladyfisher, you got me to thinking. Last May a young woman was kidnapped forty miles from my town and she has never been seen since. OFten when I tromp through the bushes on the river or when I hike around my bluegill/bass pond I get awful thoughts about finding her body somewhere. Poor Brooke.
Thats a sad story. I know that in reality when a person is creamated, there aren’t that many ashes. Many movies have the urns full of ashes when somebody spills it or whatever for comedic effect. I think what you are doing by trying to find out where they “belong” is a good thing. Maybe this person was just thrown away by someone, but by you doing this and bringing her up on the board, maybe it would give her a little respect. Or maybe it was a mistake and the family would be grateful for you finding them. Good luck in whatever happens.
Drew
A bum-legged old man and a drunk. That’s all you got?
That’s WHAT I got.
yes, this is sad. Ritual is so important in death. Hopefully, I will discover that all was done right and in their feeling they left part of her plus the box and such. Seems a stretch though.
Dear Gardenfish,
Please continue to follow though on this.
I can’t imagine anyone who had a loved one cremated simply dumping the ashes and tossing the box.
I recently had my dog cremated and received her ashes in an engraved wooden box. I think, but I hope I am wrong, that Agnes may have been a dog. Those metal tags may be a license of some sort. I’m puzzled as to why someone would have simply tossed the box though. My box will be a keepsake of photos and written memeories of my dog.
Then again, maybe someone broke into a house and snatched a box thinking it had jewelry or valuables in it but discovered at a later time that is was just ashes and tossed it.
Either way, let us know what you find out.
Regards,
Tim Murphy
Tim, I will call the crematoriam first thing on tomorrow. Unfortunately, Agnes had a last name, so she was a human being.
situation like that happened to me, a transient was found murdered in my favourite spot. A few partially serious and macbre conversations went on for a little while after that, even worse the culprits was a father and son up to no good team the local community had been complaining to the police about regarding fuel theft for years.
Gardenfish,
This past Sept/Oct, another board member (snipe) and I went fishing a local stream. We arrived at a spot and noticed a car with 2 people near a bridge. We went to look at the water and I was taken by the light bouncing off particles in the air. I wasn’t sure what it was.Was it a hatch of minute insects or what? Well, we went back to the car to consider getting our gear on and the 2 people we had seen were closer. Snipe started a conversation with them and apparently the woman was originally from the area and attended the funeral of a relative. She had just thrown the cremated remains of her relative off of the bridge. That accounted for the glistening in the air. Needless to say she was very emotional and we decided to find another place to fish that day.
I also recall what the late Edward R Hewitt saaid about his desire to be cremated and his ashes thrown into the Neversink River. “It’ll give the trout a chance to get even”.
Allan
30 Years ago , my son aged 10 and I were leaving the Marina at 5am for a days fishing in Okanagan Lake . I had a 16ft fishing boat so my eye level is quite near the surface of the water . Almost out of the marina I spotted a dead Canada goose . Thinking maybe I could get some feathers for my new fly tying hobby , I detoured over to it . Not a goose . It was the body of a Man with shoulder length grey hair . He had drowned after slipping on the rocks on the breakwater . I was worried about my son’s reaction but He being 10 thought it was cool . I have always had trouble passing that spot .
Thanks for your stories. Obviously, being in the outdoors is much more than mere fishing and hiking. In more ways than one it seems, it is a lot about discovery.
Okay. The folks at the mortuary checked there records which were in order. There surmisal and mine as well is that someone “did a horrible job of dispersing Agnes’ remains”. So, there she lies amidst the beer cans, plastic bait containers, shotgun shells, wire, and paper culps. Across the street from my house is a lovely little park with a stream that flows through it. There is a lovely small memorial tree there for a long-dead fellow. Hopefully, he will be okay with sharing his pretty tree with Agnes.
Life - what a heck of an adventure.
The Old Boy just may be quite happy to share with Agnes. 
Quite a happy ending. Thanks Gardenfish. I, for one, applaud you.
…lee s.
I sprinkled Agnes under the memorial tree by our little stream. Henry (his memorial) was a biker. I hope that he and Agnes rest peacefully. This was a strange story and it touched me somehow.
Gardenfish,
You did well! Good for you.
Mike
I am very proud of you, it took alot to do what you did. Many people wouldn’t have gone through what you did, they probably would have just left it. I think by doing this you have given Agnes some closure, and some dignity. No matter your religious beliefs it was a very good thing you did.
Drew
A bum-legged old man and a drunk. That’s all you got?
That’s WHAT I got.