- Gordon 'Skinny' Smith died of a brain hemorrhage at 57 in March 2012
- Three weeks later his wife put his ashes in a bottle with a note and $2 and threw it into the sea
- The bottle has now been found twice in Florida and traveled 80 miles
By Alex Greig
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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.
Most recently, Gordon Smith's ashes were was found in Key Colony Beach in Florida, having traveled 80 miles since his journey began.
Well-traveled: Beverly Smith sent her husband on his final journey along with a note asking people who found Gordon Scott Smith's ashes to call and tell her where he is
Love of her life: Beverly Smith with her husband Gordon 'Skinny' Smith who passed away in March 2012
Beverly and Gordon Smith took their last trip together in March 2012. Two hours after their return from Costa Rica, Gordon Smith died of a brain hemorrhage.
The couple had been married for 27 years when Gordon Smith died suddenly, leaving Beverly to ponder a future without her travel-loving husband.
?
Gordon Scott Smith was a big man with an even bigger personality. Once, the construction worker playfully took umbrage at a colleague nicknaming him 'Fatty', so Smith became 'Skinny'. The name was so entrenched that even his paychecks were made out to Skinny Smith.
'I don't think his bosses knew his real name,' says Beverly Smith told USA Today.
Message in a bottle: Judi Sidney found Gordon Smith's ashes on the Florida beach in front of her resort
After Gordon was cremated, Beverly Smith placed the ashes, a message explaining that her husband Gordon 'Skinny' Smith loved to travel, and requesting that anyone who came across his ashes call her and let her know where her husband was, and two $1 bills to pay for the calls into a plastic bottle.?
'He loved the ocean. I wanted to let him travel a little and let him sail away,' she said.
She took the bottle to Big Pine Key in Florida, a place the couple had visited on holiday every February since the early '80s and hurled it out into the sea, three weeks after her husband's death.
'We'd blow in and everybody would have a good time,' Beverly told USA Today, describing how Gordon Smith had earned the nickname 'Tennessee Tornado' and shared his moonshine among the other campers at Big Pine Key campsite.
Interesting find: The first person to find Gordon Smith's ashes was Ross, who found the bottle washed up on the beach, then added a note of his own and sent Gordon on his way again
She also spread some of her husband's ashes at a Tennessee lake Skinny Smith loved, and in Costa Rica.
Gordon Smith has not yet had the opportunity to rest in peace - he's too busy touring Florida.
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.
'I called his wife to let her know where her husband was and she was so, so happy. She said the money was for a phone call to let her know where he was,' reads Ross' note.
He took his boat out six miles into the ocean and sent Smith on his way.
Upgrade: Judi Sidney transferred Gordon Smith's ashes, the two notes and the cash to a new bottle and added a note of her own and another $1 before Gordon took to the seas again
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.
Upon reading Beverly Smith's note, Sidney realized the 'sand' was actually the ashes of Gordon Skinny Smith. She called the number and told Beverly that her husband had made another stop on his journey.
'Judi called the wife in Tennessee, who was excited to know of Gordon's travels! Judi added her note,' the resort posted on its Facebook page.
Journeyman: The bottle containing Gordon Smith's ashes was thrown into the sea at Big Pine Key (A). It was found by Ross at Islamorada (B), then again by Judi Sidney (C)
'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.'
Sidney and her husband threw a beach party for Skinny, passing around the letter for everyone present to sign, then the couple drove to Seven Mile Bridge and threw the bottle into the water.
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.
'I've had a rough time losing my best friend,' she told USA Today.
'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.'
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