Kingston, Ont., woman’s stolen planter contained ashes of her late husband: ‘We need it back’

A Kingston, Ont., woman has suffered an unimaginable loss this week.

A planter box was stolen from her property, but what the thief didn’t know was that it contained the ashes of the homeowner’s late husband.

For Penny Martin and her husband, Michael, it was their “People Place” — a place to sit, rest for a bit, talk or just watch the world go by. It’s a project the two had planned together, but Michael, who died of cancer just over a year ago, never saw it become a reality.

Martin says their front yard gathering place was in honour of her husband.

“And in memory of that, I put ashes in those planters so that he could be around me, so he could see that I’m going forward,” she said.

“I’m going forward with what we wanted.”

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But one of those planters has now gone missing, having disappeared sometime between this past Sunday and Monday. Trevor Walsh is a friend.

“Whether it was a prank or whether it was to beautify their yard, I don’t know, I’m not going to judge,” said Trevor Walsh, a friend of the family.

“But we need it back. We need it back.”

Martin agrees.

“I don’t know why you took it; I’m assuming you took it because it looked great and it did,” she said, addressing the unknown thieves.

“But you stole part of my husband and I just need it brought back — I really want it brought back. No charges, nothing. I just need that brought back to me because that’s a piece of my husband that keeps me going everyday.”

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The timing of the theft is also hard, coming just days after Michael Martin’s family and friends marked a sombre milestone and after a second loss for Penny, as one of her dogs was just buried. Another dog, Igloo, is there when called upon, providing comfort during this tough time.

Penny is hopeful her husband’s ashes will somehow make it back to her.