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If You Knew A Geocacher Who Died.......


simpjkee

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.....Would You Make Their Funeral An Event Cache?

 

I can't find my post but I recall saying I was going to make arrangements to have a large, steel-reinforced brick and mortar column with a large iron door as my grave marker and I was going to designate someone to maintain it as a cache on geocaching.com and pass it on to someone else as time went by.

 

Even dead, its still cool to be able to participate in geocaching.

 

Who knows, my old travel bu may even show up one day.

 

:laughing:

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Which brings me to an interesting question...at least to me...

 

I wonder if anyone has ever designated cache ownership to someone else in a will.

 

:laughing:

 

I haven't neccesarily considered it being in a will, but I have wondered what would happen to a dead cachers caches. I figure most would just slowly be archived, but I figure if everyone knew the cacher, people would step up to adopt them.

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Which brings me to an interesting question...at least to me...

 

I wonder if anyone has ever designated cache ownership to someone else in a will.

 

:laughing:

 

THAT would be interesting :lol:

 

GPSCache passed away and all of his caches were adopted by his sister, Trail Angel.

 

886b911d-ad8d-43fe-bbe9-8e7d23c3678a.jpg

 

I only knew Robert through email, but I actually met his sister on the trail while I was maintaining this cache near 10,000 feet. I think it was her first cache, though she never logged it.

 

Robert hid some pretty cool caches. I really enjoyed the ones of his that I did. This one is STILL on my to do list. Has been for YEARS.

 

Which brings me to a point.... He hid some great caches, but his profile doesn't show his contribution to the community, because his caches have been adopted out...... :blink:

 

There should be a way to carbon copy a cache when it is adopted from a deceased cacher so their stats are left intact. Just a small token of respect. :lol:

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I came across these caches in my area. They were placed by BigBill6, who passed away last year, and it looks like tadpole379 and others have taken them over for the most part.

 

My thoughts on the OP, if I were cremated how cool would it be to have some of my ashes put in a very small urn and turned into a TB. Too bad I'm jewish and it is against our tradition/laws to be cremated :laughing:

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Which brings me to a point.... He hid some great caches, but his profile doesn't show his contribution to the community, because his caches have been adopted out...... :blink:

 

There should be a way to carbon copy a cache when it is adopted from a deceased cacher so their stats are left intact. Just a small token of respect. :laughing:

 

Absolutely! Excellent idea for ALL adopted caches, not just those of a deceased member. It could simply be included in the listing of the original owner's hides, but with an asterisk showing that it was adopted out, and could also show up on the new owner's hides list with an asterisk showing that it was adopted.

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Which brings me to an interesting question...at least to me...

 

I wonder if anyone has ever designated cache ownership to someone else in a will.

 

:laughing:

 

THAT would be interesting :lol:

 

GPSCache passed away and all of his caches were adopted by his sister, Trail Angel.

 

886b911d-ad8d-43fe-bbe9-8e7d23c3678a.jpg

 

I only knew Robert through email, but I actually met his sister on the trail while I was maintaining this cache near 10,000 feet. I think it was her first cache, though she never logged it.

 

Robert hid some pretty cool caches. I really enjoyed the ones of his that I did. This one is STILL on my to do list. Has been for YEARS.

 

Which brings me to a point.... He hid some great caches, but his profile doesn't show his contribution to the community, because his caches have been adopted out...... :blink:

 

There should be a way to carbon copy a cache when it is adopted from a deceased cacher so their stats are left intact. Just a small token of respect. :lol:

 

Those ar great points. Out of curiosity, what would you think if his sister made his funeral an event cache? Would you think it to be disrespectful? Would you go? etc. etc.

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Which brings me to a point.... He hid some great caches, but his profile doesn't show his contribution to the community, because his caches have been adopted out...... :blink:

 

There should be a way to carbon copy a cache when it is adopted from a deceased cacher so their stats are left intact. Just a small token of respect. :laughing:

 

Lord knows I haven't placed many caches and I have even adopted one cache from a cacher who moved hundreds of miles away to go to college. BUT, I decided when I DID adopt a cache, I would preserve the name of the placer and just add a note beside it saying I adopted it.

 

GCMTH5 is the cache I adopted.

 

If it had been a commemorative thing, anyone who wanted to could still look up his profile as Groundspeak preserves them just like GPSCache's in the above post.

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<snip>My thoughts on the OP, if I were cremated how cool would it be to have some of my ashes put in a very small urn and turned into a TB. <snip>

 

I recall a TB like that in one of the first caches I found back in 2003. Trying to look through some of the history to see if I can locate it. It wasn't Uncle Bob's Ashes (which has scoopable kitty litter in the vial). This one had real ashes in it and part of the mission was for those who found it to sprinkle a bit of them at the cache site.

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From the guidelines:

Event caches should be submitted no less than two weeks prior to the date of the event, so that potential attendees will have sufficient notice to make their plans.

 

I sure hope it's not in summer...that's gonna be one ripe geocorpser

 

geocaching is all about adventure :laughing:

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From the guidelines:

Event caches should be submitted no less than two weeks prior to the date of the event, so that potential attendees will have sufficient notice to make their plans.

 

I sure hope it's not in summer...that's gonna be one ripe geocorpser

 

geocaching is all about adventure :laughing:

 

The adventure being...explaining to the local authorities what a bunch of you are doing way out in the middle of the woods with a body?

 

:blink:

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Gotta tell ya though. If we'd have ever imagined that he'd be just as high mainteance in death as he was in life, we'd have done something different. Ya, it seems as though either his 'container' is too heavy or the ground into which it is buried is too soft. In any event he keeps sinking. We visit the location ever few months and notice that it is a little lower than the last time. We've re-sodded a couple of times but he just keeps sinking. Strange, eh? Well any way, if we'd have anticipated such a thing we'd have done as I recommended in the first place.

 

Cremate the dude, put the remains in an ammo can and tossed the thing out in the woods.

 

We may yet do that. It all depends upon how much it might cost to dig him up. :laughing::blink::lol:

Edited by Team Cotati
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Gotta tell ya though. If we'd have ever imagined that he'd be just as high mainteance in death as he was in life, we'd have done something different. Ya, it seems as though either his 'container' is too heavy or the ground into which it is buried is too soft. In any event he keeps sinking. We visit the location ever few months and notice that it is a little lower than the last time. We've re-sodded a couple of times but he just keeps sinking. Strange, eh? Well any way, if we'd have anticipated such a thing we'd have done as I recommended in the first place.

 

Cremate the dude, put the remains in an ammo can and tossed the thing out in the woods.

 

We may yet do that. It all depends upon how much it might cost to dig him up. :laughing::blink::lol:

 

was his funeral an actual event cache?

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<snip>My thoughts on the OP, if I were cremated how cool would it be to have some of my ashes put in a very small urn and turned into a TB. <snip>

 

I recall a TB like that in one of the first caches I found back in 2003. Trying to look through some of the history to see if I can locate it. It wasn't Uncle Bob's Ashes (which has scoopable kitty litter in the vial). This one had real ashes in it and part of the mission was for those who found it to sprinkle a bit of them at the cache site.

 

Found it.

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I have moved a TB that contained ashes of someone's uncle, years ago, don't remember its name, and I have heard of others.

 

I was with a group of cachers in TN on a cache run, we found a cache that was on a tree in a cemetary while a funeral was being held about 50' away - you can't imagine the flack we caught in this forum when the pic was posted!

 

Here in the South a burial is a pretty solemn event, then we usually gather at the family's house, stories, rememberances, gaity and laughter, lots of food... the deceased is honored and respected, sins and poor behaviors forgiven - a post-funeral event might be done in such a setting... I don't think one at the burial service would do anything but fan huge flames.

 

Few funerals are delayed for weeks, however (I forget how long, it has to be listed what, 10 days or so before the event?), so the pre-event posting time would prevent its listing if nothing else does... unless you plan ahead - "Let's see, I'll kill him on the 22nd, the autopsy takes three days, we'll have the funeral two days later, yup, gotta list the event by the 14th"

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Which brings me to a point.... He hid some great caches, but his profile doesn't show his contribution to the community, because his caches have been adopted out...... :)

 

There should be a way to carbon copy a cache when it is adopted from a deceased cacher so their stats are left intact. Just a small token of respect. :)

Yrium is a local cacher in San Diego that passed away. He wrote great logs.

 

In Diego, when we adopt a cache, we leave the name of the cacher and add "adopted by ...".

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Gotta tell ya though. If we'd have ever imagined that he'd be just as high mainteance in death as he was in life, we'd have done something different. Ya, it seems as though either his 'container' is too heavy or the ground into which it is buried is too soft. In any event he keeps sinking. We visit the location ever few months and notice that it is a little lower than the last time. We've re-sodded a couple of times but he just keeps sinking. Strange, eh? Well any way, if we'd have anticipated such a thing we'd have done as I recommended in the first place.

 

Cremate the dude, put the remains in an ammo can and tossed the thing out in the woods.

 

We may yet do that. It all depends upon how much it might cost to dig him up. :):):lol:

 

was his funeral an actual event cache?

 

No. Just me and a few of his closest 'high numbers' friends. He was sooooo into numbers God bless him. :lol::P:P

Edited by Team Cotati
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.....Would You Make Their Funeral An Event Cache?

 

Would I? That decision would best be left to the next of kin. Myself, I wouldn't want a funeral. Sprinkle my ashes in Terrace Pond.

I've found a few of BigBill6's caches, and replaced one of his containers, knowing that he was ill, and that the container was leaking.

More to the point, perhaps, is a much beloved local cacher, who passed on a couple of years ago. We met him several times on the trail. One of the nicest people we've ever met. There are those seeking to preserve his contributions to geocaching. His widow and children have other priorities. Survival. Raising three young children. Life continues on. For many such, geocaching is not the priority. Survival is.

It would be awfully nice if geocaching could find a way to preserve such memories and contributions.

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In Diego, when we adopt a cache, we leave the name of the cacher and add "adopted by ...".

Yup, same here for notable caches. I recently adopted the first cache placed in Alabama, GC126 Trussville Civitan and kept the previous owners in the owner name field.

 

Not an elegant solution, but it works.

 

Wow! Being responsible for maintaining the first cache placed in your state.

 

That's kinda cool!

 

;)

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Can I be buried in a large ammo can?

 

B)

 

I don't get much into the social aspect of geocaching, but I'd have no problems with a funeral cache if people wanted to come and sign the coffin.

 

Perhaps arrangements could be made to make the headstone into a cache. (I don't like cemetery caches, but I think a headstone specifically designed to be a cache would be a big exception.)

 

I'd think a better tribute would be an annual remembrance event where people get together, drink some beer, and talk about caching and the person who died.

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I am a pastor, and I have thought about this myself. With the obvious exception of the two week notification, an event cache for a funeral would work just fine. There would have to be a very clear message in the cache page that it is indeed a funeral, and not a whimsical event. And since most people are cremated these days, you could still give people a week's notice.

 

A funeral is intended to be both a tribute to the deceased and a comfort to the living, and if both enjoyed caching, then making caching part of the service is perfectly suitable. Just remember, family comes first, and not the friends. If the family is dead set against a caching component, back off and do your own tribute as a seperate event.

 

I have done gravesides where a black powder gun hunter got a 21 gun salute from his family and friends, and it was profoundly moving (and LOUD!!). I have sprinkled ashes in a river for a very close fishing friend, with rods actually deployed while we sprinkled. A bite came just as we wrapped up!

 

Quite often, family lays items in a grave just before the casket/urn is buried. What would be more moving than a group of cachers laying siggy items in the grave as a cacher was being buried?

 

I say go for it.

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We very recently had a local cacher friend pass away and on the day of his funeral was an event that he had set up and planned.

 

So while some of us traveled to his funeral (he was laid to rest in his home town), others were at his event remembering all the good times and great caches of this cacher.

 

So this event turned into a local satellite memorial event for local cachers. An event that the deceased himself that planned and hosted.

 

In the days before his passing he even talked about a cache being put in or onto his headstone. He passed before talking about this in depth with his family. It may or may not still happen.

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