Husband fulfills wife’s final wish by sending her ashes into space
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KMAX/KOVR) - A California man is fulfilling his late wife’s final wish to travel into the great beyond as he sends her ashes and those of their dog into space.
Buzz and Connie Jones were married for 30 years. Now, memories of his sweetheart are frozen in time on a shelf in their living room, where he says Connie watches over him and their beloved beagle, Milo.
Buzz sees his wife in the rows and rows of books that fill the shelves where her ashes sit. He says she had a fascination with the cosmos.
“She was a prolific reader. She liked science fiction,” Buzz said. “She’d tell me all sorts of things about ‘Star Trek.’ She had a lot of the old memorabilia from ‘Star Trek.’”
Before Connie died of cancer, her last wish was to take a trip to outer space, and in his wife’s final moments, Buzz made a promise.
“‘Connie, I’ve researched it. I’m sending you up.’ She just kind of smiled. Couldn’t say much,” Buzz said.
A year after Connie’s death, her remains will be given new life on a rocket to outer space as Celestis Inc. launches its 24th memorial space flight.
“It’s a lot like scattering ashes at sea or something like that, only we appeal to people that have always wanted to travel in space,” said Charles Chafer, Celestis’ CEO.
Buzz plans to attend the memorial launch later this summer. Connie’s ashes will be accompanied by those of her cocker spaniel, Casey, who died two decades ago. They will take one final walk together among the stars.
“She is part of eternity. Her remains are gonna go up and be one with time,” Buzz said. “It makes me proud that I can do this for her.”
Celestis typically sends off two to four missions a year. The cost for some of the space flights is cheaper than your average funeral. The prices range from $4,000 to $13,000, depending on whether you want to send your loved one into orbit, into deep space or to the moon.
The company also says its space flights are environmentally friendly.
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