EDMONDS, Wash. – Saying goodbye to a loved one who has passed is never easy, but some find comfort in fulfilling their loved one’s final wish. For one Washington couple, that’s being buried at sea.
FOX 13 was there on a Sunday in November as the Hudson family boarded the ferry from Edmonds to Kingston. They’re giving a final farewell to Dr. Bruce Hudson and his wife Marilyn, and the water is their final resting place.
“They took this ferry route between Edmonds and Kingston countless times, often spending the crossing doing laps around the deck,” said Rick Hudson, the couple’s son. “They love the water, especially the Puget Sound and the Salish Sea.”
It was their final wish to be cremated and have their ashes spread in these waters. It’s a memorial service that Washington State Ferries told FOX 13 is available to anyone, on any day of the week.
“Typically, the family gathers on the car deck and the captain makes an announcement, blows the horn and the ferry stops for a few minutes before the release of the urn,” said Zale Noah, Customer Programs Coordinator for Washington State Ferries.
With their flowers in hand, the loved ones of Marilyn and Bruce waited as the engines quieted.
“So, mom and dad, grandma and grandpa, great grandma and great grandpa, we who send you off have so much gratitude for all you poured into our lives,” Hudson said. “Let the gentle rocking of the ocean carry you away, you are loved, you are cherished, you are deeply missed.”
Then, with each of their kids holding the biodegradable urn, they let go and watched as their parents’ ashes became one with the Puget Sound. Embracing each other as they stared out at the water.
“It was sad to kind of see my parents sink down into the water, but also glad they both had great lives together and self-fulfilling their wishes to be together, their ashes,” Hudson said.
He’s now imagining all the places they’ll go.
“It’s kind of nice to think I can dip my toe into any body of water, and it’ll be sort of connected somehow. Where we dropped them in,” Hudson said.
A sentiment shared by their eldest granddaughter, Erica Hall.
“It’s lovely,” Hall said. “To know that we can come back and take this ferry again, and it will always have such a special place in our hearts as well, yeah, it is really special.”
Noah told FOX 13, they do about two-to-three of these types of memorials a week during the colder months, but closer to seven of them a week during the warmer seasons.
“It means a lot to people to do something and honor their family in a way that’s uniquely Washington and close to their hearts, especially if they’re from the area,” Noah said.
Loved ones shared that Bruce and Marilyn were warm, caring and kind, and they lived long and full lives. “They were kind of our guiding stars,” Hall said.
“We’ll miss them, you know, so that’s the hard part, right?” Hudson said. “They’re not around, but I’m glad we’re able to do this for them and for all of us, really.”
As the sound of the horn traveled across the water, Bruce and Marilyn’s kids and grandkids said one final goodbye as they threw flowers overboard, one by one.
The family told FOX 13 that Bruce just turned 100 years old this past June, which was wonderful, as the whole family was there and able to share their happiest memories alongside him.
They also shared that the couple spent decades sailing in the Puget sound, as well as all over the world in places like Hawaii, Tonga and the British Virgin Islands.
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The Source: Information in this story came from Washington State Ferries and original FOX 13 Seattle reporting and interviews.
Shirah.Matsuzawa@fox.com (Shirah Matsuzawa)
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