Alex Carson
The Beach
Most beaches are gorgeous. The beautiful sands, the surf, and looking out at the ocean are all calming. Unfortunately, the beach today is not a gorgeous as it once was. It is not uncommon to be walking along the beach to find trash in the sand and at the shore. People aren’t careful with their garbage, and it gets left behind on the beach and dumped into the ocean. This is something that a woman named Judy Glunz Sidney can’t stand. She goes out to the beach in Florida to clean up the trash. There was one day when she found something shocking.
Judy Glunz Sidney
Judy Glunz Sidney is the co-owner of the Glunz Ocean Beach Hotel & Resort in Key Colony Beach, Florida. Judy’s business is on the beach, so she takes the time each day to make sure that the beach is clean and free of debris. She doesn’t want her guests to go outside to enjoy the beach and the ocean, only to find it covered in trash. Each morning, she takes a walk on the beach to clean up what people have left behind. While she was out collecting trash one morning, she stumbled upon a plastic bottle. When she picked it up, she realized that it was much more than a discarded water bottle.
Ashes
When Judy picked up the bottle, she was shocked. This woman walking on the beach stumbles upon bottle with man’s ashes. At first, it looked like a bottle of sand with what looked like two notes inside. Judy opened the bottle and read the note inside. When she read the letters, she realized that it wasn’t sand in the bottle. One of the notes read, “My husband Gordon Scott “Skinny” Smith loved to travel. Call and tell me where he is…and let him travel on.”
Beverly Smith
The woman who wrote the note was Beverly Smith. She and her husband, Gordon, aka Skinny, loved to travel with her. They made sure to get to Florida at least once a year because they both loved the beach and the sun. In 2012, the couple celebrated their silver anniversary in Costa Rica. The couple had a wonderful time together, but sadly, two after the couple returned home, Skinny died. Beverly was devastated, but she wanted to honor her husband in the best way that she knew how.
Skinny’s Ashes
Beverly knew her husband’s favorite places, and she wanted to scatter his ashes in those places. After he was cremated, she spread some of his remains at a lake in Tennessee. She also scattered some of his remains in Costa Rica, where the couple had such a wonderful time together. After scattering the ashes in these places, she put the rest in a plastic bottle and threw them into the water off the Florida Keys. She wanted Skinny to continue to travel, even in death. Along with the note, she put $2 in the bottle. The money was to cover the cost of the phone call to let Beverly know where Skinny was traveling.
The Second Note
Along with the money and the note written by Beverly, there was a second note in the bottle. It was written by the first man who found the bottle. He added a dollar to the bottle and sent it back on his way. He wanted to honor Beverly’s wishes, so he allowed Skinny to continue on with his trip.
Judy Honors Beverly’s Wishes
When Judy came across the bottle, she knew that she had to honor his wife’s wishes. First, she called Beverly. Judy told Beverly that she was having breakfast with her husband. Beverly was shocked when she got the call. It was actually the second that she received since putting her husband’s ashes in the ocean. The first was from the man who wrote the first note.
Beverly’s Response
Beverly says that the calls that she received from Judy and the man who found the ashes was incredible. She said, “Both the phone calls I have received are a tribute to human kindness and humanity itself. It was just a way of rekindling his life, and he loved to meet new people. It is amazing because it would have been our 27th wedding anniversary. It’s like he is coming back to life each time.”
Judy’s Turn
Judy knew that it was her turn to do something special for both Beverly and Skinny. Judy put the ashes in a rum bottle, along with a note of her own. She added another dollar to the bottle so that the next person could call Beverly. Before sending the bottle off, Judy had something special planned.
A Party
Before Beverly and her family sent Skinny on his way, they decided to have a bon voyage party for him. After the party, she put him back into the ocean from the Seven Mile Bridge in Marathon, Florida. Beverly hopes that one day, Skinny will make to Glasgow, where his father was from. Only time will tell where he will wash up next.
