A Tennessee widow packaged up some of her husband's ashes in a plastic bottle along with a note and $2, and set him adrift in the Atlantic Ocean on his final adventure last year.
When Gordon Smith died of a brain hemorrhage at the age of 57, his wife Beverly, 56, felt the avid traveler wasn't ready to stop exploring.
---
The couple had been married for 27 years when Gordon Smith died suddenly, leaving Beverly to ponder a future without her travel-loving husband.
---
'He loved the ocean. I wanted to let him travel a little and let him sail away,' she said.
---
Earlier this month, he turned up at Mile Marker 79 at Islamorada, Florida. A man named Ross found the bottle and added his own note.
---
Last week, Skinny Smith turned up again, this time in Key Colony Beach, Florida. Judi Glunz Sidney was cleaning litter from the shore of the beach in front of Glunz Ocean Beach Hotel and Resort when she noticed a plastic bottle with money and what appeared to be sand inside.
---
'We put him in a rum bottle (you know, added a little fun to his trip) with the three notes. We added another $1 in case Gordon travels far and a long distance call is needed.'
---
Beverly Smith is still dealing with the grief of losing her husband every day. But hearing of his adventures from people Skinny Smith has managed to touch, even in death, helps her cope.
---
'You can't change it but you can lift your head up and be thankful
that people can still appreciate love stories - real love stories.'
