Why this widow scattered her husband’s ashes using a drone

By Faye Mayern

This is the moment a grieving widow scattered her plane-spotting husband's ashes — by drone ash scattering.

Terena Clerkin, 55, chose the "beautiful and dignified" service for her late husband, Dave, 58, who was an avid aviation fan.

She thought the aerial ceremony would be a fitting farewell for the granddad who came from a Royal Air Force family and had been a huge fan of air shows including the Red Arrows.

A year to the day after his funeral, the family watched Dave's ashes drift through the sky after they were released by a drone, from Aerial Ashes, close to Souter Lighthouse in Whitburn, near Newcastle, England.

The ceremony came as scattering ashes by drone has become increasingly popular, with loved ones holding services over golf courses and beaches.

Terena, from Sunderland, England said: "It was a beautiful morning with a clear blue sky.

"We all gathered on the clifftops to see the drone fly and after a couple of minutes, the container opened and his ashes were scattered.

"There was a lovely trail of them drifting through the sky. It was so peaceful.

"It is such a dignified and beautiful way of saying your final goodbye to a loved one."

Aerial Ashes, run by Matt Young, offers services starting at 1,495 pounds ($1,870), aiming to be dignified, accessible and environmentally conscious — dropping the remains from a height of about 50 to 100 feet.

Popular destinations include beaches, golf courses and racecourses where the loved one has a special memory — and they hope to hold ceremonies close to football stadiums soon.

Dave was 57 when he was diagnosed with a glioma brain tumor close to his optic nerve, having initially had a "haze" across the vision in his eye.

Dave and Terena had been together since 1998, with the plastics fabricator proposing on Christmas Day 2023 — but the news brought their wedding forward.

Dave had radiotherapy the day before his wedding day, but Terena said it didn't stop him from celebrating with her and all the family.

He died just eight months after his diagnosis.

Terena said: "We waited a year to scatter Dave's ashes and I wanted the right location.

"I've scattered other people's ashes before and while it's fine, you always get that bit where they hit you in the face or someone could walk over them.

"I had scattered my dad's ashes at sea because he'd been in the Navy and I wanted to do something similar for Dave.

"We didn't discuss the drone before he died. I wanted something that was specific to him, something he would have loved.

"Because of his love of the air and planes it got me looking at what was available."

Dave's ashes were scattered on April 12 at about 7:20 a.m. close to Souter Lighthouse in Whitburn, along the coast.

Afterward, the family had a celebration in a nearby park with Dave's grandchildren releasing "bubbles up into heaven" and a picnic of his favorite foods.

Terena chose Souter Lighthouse because Dave's mom, Maryon, and dad, Mike, had their ashes scattered along the coast between South Shields and Roker, just a short distance away.

Dave had told Terena it was her choice but would like to be where his parents are — and it was a stone's throw from the Sunderland International Airshow, which Dave regularly attended.

Terena added: "Everyone I spoke to said they thought it was appropriate and fitting for Dave.

"I planted the scatter tube that his ashes were in at home in a pot with a peony and some forget-me-nots, which I grew from our wedding favours."

Aerial Ashes was founded by RAF helicopter pilot Christopher Mace in 2019 when he was asked to release ashes from the aircraft and created a slow-release mechanism to create the "plume" effect.

Weather, including rain or wind gusts, is closely monitored in the lead-up to the ceremonies, and families can have the services recorded.

Matt Young, owner of Aerial Ashes, said: "We can't take people's grief away but we can give them the closure of a dignified ceremony.

"There's no pressure on the family for them to scatter the ashes. They can concentrate on being in the moment and it gives them somewhere to go.

"The ashes make a plume in the sky that slowly disappears in front of you — many of our customers tell us it feels symbolic of going to heaven."