This fisherman's soul will forever remain at sea, thanks to a special message in a bottle created by his family.
When California native Melvin Stanley Clary died in April at the age of 77, his family members wanted to do something to memorialize his spirit beyond spreading his ashes in the Pacific Ocean. So when they chartered the boat for the ceremony, they also created a message in a bottle for him that they would release at the same time, reported "Good Morning America."
The bottle, which was released near Moss Beach in California on Aug. 17, included the following note from Melvin's family:
"My name is Mel, and I have 3 beautiful kids and a beautiful wife of almost 54 years when I passed. I love the ocean, deep sea fishing, abalone hunting with my 2 son's and visiting the tide pools with the whole family. Today my family is laying me to rest in a place that I love... the ocean. So this starts my journey -- if you find this message in a bottle please go to my Facebook page, post a pic of yourself and where you found me and send me back on my journey. Thanks and God Bless, Mel's Family."
Melvin's family prepping to release the message in a bottle on Aug. 17.
"It was something I thought of doing just as a way to remember my dad," Clary's daughter Nancy Souza told "Good Morning America." "I just thought it would be cool if someone actually did find it. I was having a hard time losing my dad."
A man named Willie Tang discovered the bottle while he was fishing at Francis Beach, California, according to The Weather Channel. Tang honored the family's wishes by taking his find to their Facebook page for Melvin's journey, resealing the bottle and tossing it out to sea again on Aug. 23 for another person to discover.
The family hopes the bottle will continue to make its way into the hands of other sea dwellers and beachgoers, sharing their father's loving legacy with each of them.
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