A DISTRAUGHT widow says that she can never be sure the ashes she was given by a funeral home are really those of her late husband.
Anthony Green, known as Tony, died at the start of May after suffering from cancer.
But it was only when partner of 27 years Pat Gittus, of Newstead Way, Strelley, went to pick up his ashes from the Sherwood branch of Co-op Funeralcare that she spotted two labels on the container.
And now she believes the box didn't just contain the remains of former stonemason, Mr Green.
The Co-op has said they have investigated the matter and are sure the container offered to Ms Gittus only contains Mr Green. However, Pat said: "It's devastating to think that I'll never know and I won't be able to scatter him on his mum's grave at Redhill cemetery and that's what he said he wanted doing.
"I'm not prepared to do that when there is this doubt in my mind. It took me nearly two months to pick up his ashes after the cremation because I still really missed him and was just building up the courage to do it and now this happens."
The ashes are still at the Co-op Funeralcare store with Ms Gittus saying she doesn't know what to do.
The pair met at Top Valley Social Club back in 1987 and Pat said Tony was fond of pool and going to the pub and they had two sons together – Andrew and Michael.
She added: "There were a few times that he said to me that we should get married and I told him to stop being so soft. But we cared for each other and losing him was hard for us.
"He was a really caring person, loved his family and friends and was good to them and they were good to him.
"Whenever we had an argument, he would go to the Strelley Social Club and they'd let him sleep there for the night and he'd come back the following day with his tail between his legs. But we got on so well. I don't think it's right there were two labels on the container – it just leaves this doubt in my mind."
A spokesman for The Co-operative Funeralcare said: "When Mrs Gittus came to collect her partner's ashes we spotted that some additional identification, relating to another person, was attached to the container. We have now established, beyond any doubt, that the ashes in the container are those of her partner.
"We have apologised to the family for not spotting this earlier, when we collected the ashes from the crematorium.
"We are liaising with the family to deliver the ashes to them as soon as possible, and are taking this issue up with Wilford Hill Crematorium."
Do you have a story to tell? Get in touch by e-mailing newsdesk@nottinghampost.com
