A woman in the U.K. claimed her plans to bury her late husband at Walt Disney World in Florida were ruined after an airline temporarily lost her luggage containing his cremated remains.
Joyce Jackson, 78, of Wales alleged that Virgin Atlantic accidentally left the suitcase containing the ashes of her husband Gordon at Manchester Airport, according to local North Wales Live.
Jackson, whose husband died from a tragic accident last year, intended to bury some of Gordon’s remains at their favorite vacation destination near to what would have been his 80th birthday and their wedding anniversary.
“Gordon absolutely loved it there,” Jackson told the Wales outlet regarding Disney World. “He would talk to the characters. It wasn’t a pilgrimage, but I wanted to bury some of his ashes and our wedding rings there.”
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Airline Virgin Atlantic has apologized to widow Joyce Jackson for losing her husband’s ashes when she flew to the U.S. to scatter them in Florida.
(Credit: Wales News Service)
“But it was as if Virgin Atlantic didn’t care,” Jackson added.
Jackson, who was married to Gordon for 57 years, blamed the bungled baggage on what she described as the airline’s “flimsy” bag tag, which she believes must have fallen off.
“At Manchester Airport I was told I had to use the self-service bag drop,” she said. “I did that and got a luggage label. A man put it on. It wasn’t a sticky label where you loop it round a handle and stick both ends together. It was more like a paper one. But it must have come off.”
“I got to Orlando, and no luggage. I travel light and I only had what I was wearing, not even a toothbrush,” she further explained.
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Jackson intended to bury some of Gordon’s remains at their favorite vacation destination close to what would have been their wedding anniversary.
(Credit: Wales News Service)
“But the worst thing about it was the ashes and rings were in the suitcase. I know you can’t take a person’s ashes with you, so I only had a few ashes and our wedding rings. I was going to bury them in a garden at Caribbean Beach Resort,” Jackson continued. “The main ashes are in a rose pot in our garden.”
Jackson said that the staff at Walt Disney World were helpful when they learned of her predicament.
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“I had to wash my underwear every night with shower gel,” said Jackson. “But Disney [was] very good, considering it was not their problem. They gave me a toothbrush and arranged for a taxi to take me to a supermarket, so I could buy hairspray and toothpaste. I also bought three dresses, a T-shirt and a bag.”
Joyce Jackson, who was married to Gordon Jackson for 57 years, blamed the bungled baggage on what she described as a “flimsy” label.
(Credit: Wales News Service)
Jackson said she had to spend almost $800 to replace the lost clothes and toiletries from her luggage, but noted she was ultimately reunited with her luggage after a duty manager in Orlando traced its location. She flew home Oct. 13, but said she has likely missed her final opportunity to bury Gordon’s ashes and their wedding rings in Florida.
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“I can’t go back because I can’t afford it, and I’m 78,” she said.
Virgin Atlantic did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment, but did reportedly issue an apology to Jackson for the ordeal.
