‘I was really hysterical’: Devastated daughter reveals how she accidentally sold her own mother’s ASHES at a garage sale for $40
- Janette Wright, 60, was hosting a garage sale at her mother’s home in Sydney
- Ms Wright had saved some of her mother’s ashes and kept them in an earn
- Her brother accidentally sold the urn to a local buyer, the day before garage sale
- Ms Wright used Facebook to hunt down the buyer and return her mum’s ashes
A woman has revealed how she accidentally sold her mother’s ashes at a garage sale – before desperately searching to get the urn back.
Janette Wright, 60, was hosting a garage sale at her mother’s home in Peakhurst, in Sydney’s south, when the urn mistakenly ended up in the hands of a local buyer.
Ms Wright and her siblings planned to sell their mother Val Doyle’s belongings last Saturday but keen shoppers began to browse the goods on Friday, Sydney Morning Herald reported.
Ms Wright’s brothers were staying at their mother’s home when a woman took an interest in a bag which held the urn containing Ms Doyle’s ashes.
Janette Wright, 60, was hosting a garage sale at her mother’s home in Peakhurst, in Sydney’s south, when the urn mistakenly ended up in the hands of a buyer
‘One particular woman walked up [to one of the brothers] and waved the bag under his nose and said ”how much for all this?” He said ”$50” and she said ”how about $40?” and he said ”okay” – and she tottled off with the bag,’ Ms Wright said.
Ms Wright, the ‘sarge in charge’ of the sale, had not been at the house on Friday and later learned of the mishap.
‘One of my brothers came up and looked a bit anxious… I ran inside and of course the urn was missing. I was really quite hysterical,’ she said.
The family had scattered Ms Doyle’s ashes on the Thursday but Ms Wright, who was ‘quite attached’ to the ashes, decided to keep some in an urn.
She said her ‘first mistake’ was to leave the urn of ashes on the lounge room table ahead of the garage sale.
After learning her brother had accidentally sold the ashes, Ms Wright launched a desperate plea on social media to find the buyer.
After learning her brother had accidentally sold the ashes, Ms Wright launched a desperate plea on social media to find the buyer
‘This morning people came through my mother’s property … and by mistake my brother sold the little urn in this photo,’ she wrote on Facebook.
‘It contains my mothers ashes!’
‘I am absolutely devastated to have them back.
‘Please if you are the person who purchased this urn please contact me urgently.’
Ms Wright thanked those on Facebook who helped find her mother’s ashes
Ms Wright’s Facebook inbox was quickly flooded with support and she was led straight to the buyer the day later.
The buyer, who lived locally, did not have Facebook but was out with a friend who happened to ask her if she heard about the ‘poor woman’ who lost her ashes at a garage sale.
The woman then contacted Ms Wright and the family to return the urn and receive a $15 refund.
‘She gave me back the box and put a lovely flower on it. We were actually all in tears,’ Ms Wright said.
Updating her followers on Facebook, Ms Wright wrote: ‘Hi everyone, Mum is back with me.’
‘She’s been on an adventure and she’s now home. Thank you so much for all the help.
‘It was due to Facebook that she was returned. I’m so happy.’