Don't take any ceramic turtles.....

[Catty1]

2 hours, 12 minutes ago

ELMIRA, N.Y. (AP) - A New York state woman who was quick with the bargains at her rummage sale mistakenly accepted 50 cents for a ceramic turtle with the ashes of her husband's previous wife inside.

Now, Anita Lewis is desperately searching for the buyer who said she planned to use the urn as a cookie jar.

Lewis said she hauled items into her yard early Saturday while her husband slept.

The buyer quickly selected the large turtle container, despite being unable to get the lid open.

Lewis's husband's previous wife collected turtles.

[critter crazy]

Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

[kelli1843]

This is my town, and it's been a fairly major topic yesterday and today.

[Catty1]

Kelli - did the lady who bought the turtle return it?

I hope she wasn't just visiting the town!

[moosmom]

Your hubby's wife's ashes are very lucky. When my stepmonster passed away*sings* (ding dong the witch is dead) her cremains remained in the broom closet of my Dad's apartment till he died two years later. That's how much SHE was missed by her own kids.

[lvpets2002]

Oh boy I cant wait till the lady that bought the turtle finds out whats in the Urn.. Bigggg Oopppsss..

[kelli1843]

As of now, the buyer hasn't returned it, lol. I'll have to try and post link from entire newspaper article.

[Blue_Frog]

http://www.stargazette.com/apps/pbcs...DATE/308070020

Woman recovers turtle containing ashes
August 7, 2007
Post Comment
Star-Gazette

Anita Lewis has recovered the turtle containing her husband’s previous wife’s ashes.

Lewis, of Elmira, accidentally sold the ceramic turtle at her rummage sale Saturday. Later, her husband, Terrence Lewis, told her the urn contained the ashes of his first wife, Marcia Lewis.
The turtle was recovered at the Salvation Army Thrift Shop in Horseheads after a tip from an anonymous caller to the Star-Gazette.
Read more about this story in John Cleary’s Neighbors column on Wednesday.

[Catty1]

Oh my!

I wonder if she helps with the Salvation Army and buys things cheap, which the Sally Ann marks up just a bit.

Or...got fed up because she couldn't open the darn thing! OMG

I hope hubby and present wife are okay - maybe he never told her and she didn't ask?

Happy ending...(oops, no pun intended...)

[kelli1843]

Actually, Catty, what I believed happened..

It's getting so much media play around here, (and, from afar), I bet the buyer read articles and dropped it off at Salv Army and then called anonymous "tip" to its whereabouts.

I mean, get home, try to open that damn turtle to make it into cookie jar, and can't break seal..then read in local newspaper all the hubba hubba about it (and learn wire news have picked this story up), and realize your yardsale "cookie jar" is really a cremation urn?

[wombat2u2004]

Oh look......there's icing sugar on my cookies!!!!
I could have swore they were plain cookies I put in my new cookie jar !!!!
Wom

[Catty1]

WOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.........................

[lady_zana]

Yay! She got it back!

Woman's ashes back after accidental sale Tue Aug 7, 5:14 PM ET



A large ceramic turtle containing a woman's ashes has been recovered after it was accidentally sold for 50 cents at a rummage sale.

When Anita Lewis of Elmira sold the turtle Saturday to a woman with plans to use it as a cookie jar, she didn't know it held the ashes of her husband's late wife.

Terrence Lewis' previous wife had collected turtles and the couple's home was full of them, Anita Lewis said.

She realized her mistake and began a frantic search that led to the Salvation Army Thrift Shop in Horseheads after an anonymous caller's tip to the Star-Gazette of Elmira.

___

Information from: Star-Gazette, http://www.stargazette.com

[lvpets2002]

Yes the Turtle Urn has been return nice & safe.. They said the seal of the Urn's Lid was still in tacked..