Hi all, my family are currently enjoying Crete. We are on a holiday to spread the ashes of our family member who passed away last year and always loved Crete and Amadoura.
We spread his ashes at Sun rise yesterday and a member from the local paper did an article. I tried with Google to translate but it comes out strange. Would anyone be able to write a translation in English to the attached image. Many thanks
https://i.ibb.co/jLKcp6x/IMG-20220722-WA0003.jpg
1 comment
They came from England and the US and said farewell to their loved one in the sea of Ammoudara
His favourite place for the past two decades
A unique, not usual, ceremony took place in the early hours of the morning, on Ammoudara beach. The family of Colm Casey -a British regular visitor of our hometown- released his ashes into the sea of Ammoudara, which he loved with a passion, for its beauty, its kindness and the honest sentiments of the people he met here, by developing strong friendships. They were the reasons why he, along with many members of his family returned almost every year for vacation in Agios Nikolaos and his favourite Ammoudara, from 2003 onwards.
Colm died on the 20th of April 2021. He was a polite, kind man, who always wore a warm smile which he shared with whoever he met, even if they hadn’t met before. Everyone that knew him, speak of a very special person, with a unique face, irreplaceable for his mutuals that lost him. Selfless to his friends, he developed friendships in our home, throughout his 18 years on which he visited and met them during his vacation.
The families “Hellenic Odyssey” began in 2003 when they visited for the first time, choosing Ammoudara as a place to stay for vacation. And then, a family group had travelled choosing Agios Nikolaos as a place to co-celebrate a little girl’s birthday, who was part of their family. They’ve been returning every year ever since. Colm Casey travelled to participate in many of those family celebrations during his vacation and fell in love with Crete, her people and her civilization, according to his sister, Trish. And she adds: “We are having a great time here at Poppys, but this comes as no surprise to us, as we’ve always felt as among friends here at Poppy Villas. And Colm felt that to a great extent. He loved his vacations in Ammoudara, so much so that his retirement plan was to move in permanently here, buying a house in the area. Unfortunately, this will not come true… He died last year on the 20th of April, and he was only 60 years old. He is missed every day by those who loved him.”
He was so loved to his mutuals, who, knowing of his wish, decided to keep a small amount of his ashes to bring and release on the place that he loved so much for the past 20 years. A total of 21 people travelled, some from the UK others from the US where they live now, just to reconnect, spend time together and have a holiday in Ammoudara, to share and reminisce of sweet memories from when Colm was with them.
A total of 21 people, relatives and close friends of Colm, gathered on Ammoudara beach, before sunrise. They placed his urn surrounded by four candles and his picture. While they waited for the sun to rise and reminisced on their memories of the deceased. Accompanied by the sound of songs and music that he loved and which they sang with his friends, the O’ Doherties, the Mc Tiernans, the Caseys, the Greeneys and others sang and prayed together, holding a white flower each. Four of them, as soon as the sun came out, went as far into the sea as they could and spread his ashes in the waters that Colm himself used to swim in, fusing him with the natural elements that he loved. All of them being sentimentally charged, they bid their last farewells to their sibling, their friend, throwing their flowers in the sea with the promise that they would never forget him.
Hope this helps. Very sorry for your loss. Colm sounds like a wonderful man