Posted on 01/13/2025 6:49:40 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
As some Altadena residents start returning to the burnt shells of what used to be their neighborhoods, they're looking for any lingering pieces of what could be left behind.
One of those residents, Mark Rodriguez, was among the many witnessing what was left of their homes on Mariposa Drive on Friday afternoon. He was hoping to find the wedding rings he left behind when fleeing the Eaton Fire.
Hoping, maybe, by luck that we'd find our wedding rings. I hung 'em there and didn't take them, thinking we'd come back," Rodriguez said.
He says that his wife, Yvonne, died in 2018 inside of the house they shared for so many years.
While sifting through the debris left behind by the devastating fire, Rodriguez and KCAL News reporter Joy Benedict found the remains of the urn that hold his late wife's ashes.
The vessel had broken into multiple pieces during the moments that their home was engulfed by flames, one of dozens in Altadena completely razed over the last few days.
"They're just gonna bulldoze it and she'll just go back to the earth," Rodriguez said. "She'd love it, actually. ... God, isn't that so funny? Well, I guess all people do, you know, ashes to ashes. She's among the ashes now, and she would like that."
Instead of gathering what pieces of the urn he could, Rodriguez chose to leave the urn and ashes where he felt they belonged, with the memories that they shared for so many years.
Currently, Rodriguez is staying with family elsewhere in Southern California, but he says he fully plans to rebuild a home in the exact same spot.
Why were the wedding rings hung up somewhere? Why wasn’t he wearing his?
I imagine his permits will be approved in 10-15 years and then he can begin construction. How old is he? Good luck guy.
Pretty much. :(
Silly notion. Either she is in heaven with Jesus in her new resurrection body or in hell for all eternity.
This is why people should be properly buried, in a Christian cemetery.
Her human remains are subject to the indignity of wildfires or earthquakes, firefighter action, looters, etc...
Not just permits, but good luck getting insurance also.
I agree. Cremation is one thing, but what people do with cremains borders on weird.
Oh geeze
Was someone else supposed to bury them?
My cousin called me after a hurricane to say our grandmother’s ashes made it
What?
20 years it took them to bury her. With my prompting from 2000 miles away
They don’t bury themselves. The urn will go into the garbage one day
Geeze
Or just comingled.
Pretty much every widow removes their wedding ring after a while. As much as it hurts when your wife or husband dies you are no longer married, not on earth or in heaven. The important thing to note is that after loosing pretty much everything his main concern is her ashes. I can relate, having lost my wife of 49 years a year and a half ago. The one and only woman I ever loved and the only wife I will ever have. I am not sure if I will remain where I am at or eventually move somewhere closer to my children so I keep her ashes on the mantle so they can be finally laid to rest with mine wherever that may be. So go easy on the guy, until you walk in his shoes you should not question his motives.
On a side note Charlton Heston’s grave site apparently escaped the fire. It has a Google map marker at The Parish of St. Matthew at 1031 Bienveneda Ave, Pacific Palisades.
I was curious about what Episcopal Churches were in the area and did a search and found St Matthew’s. I then went to a fire map and found that the small area encompassing the parish, although very wooded, somehow survived the fire.
You can find it on this very instructive map of fire damage.
Thank you for writing this and in such a nice way. I’m sorry for your loss.
Kinda like a twice baked potato?
ClearCase_guy wrote:
“
“he says he fully plans to rebuild a home in the exact same spot.”
I imagine his permits will be approved in 10-15 years and then he can begin construction. How old is he? Good luck guy.
“
CA proposition 19 says burned houses must be rebuilt within two years, otherwise the property tax rises to the current amount, not the proposition 13 amount
Strong incentive for the state to make darn sure you cannot rebuild your home within two years.
I know exactly how you feel, I think. There will be no other after my husband, who is quite a bit older than me, goes.
WATCH GOVERNMENT GO AFTER HIM FOR “NOT PROPERLY DISPOSING OF HUMAN REMAINS”......
THAT LAW WILL BE ON COMPLETE CONFLICT WITH PERMITS & ENVIRO REGULATIONS.
THIS WILL BE A LONG COURT BATTLE.
Sorry but I’m a widow since 3 years ago and a 50 year marriage and I do wear my wedding ring. I wear my husband’s ring around my neck...Not trying to walk in anyone else’s shoes..
Temperature doesn’t change much at FR, does it? The urge to dig at someone else is just too hard to resist.
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