Grieving family searches for mom’s stolen ashes

CORVALLIS, Ore. (KOIN) — Volunteers are helping a husband and his family find the ashes of his wife, who died just last week.

Matt Archer said his wife Patricia, a combat war veteran, died in her sleep. The mother of 2 was cremated a few days ago and her remains were placed in a black urn.

“Her deepest love and goals in life was to be a perfect mother and perfect wife,” Archer said.

Archer wrapped the urn in a pair of jeans and placed it in the back of his Jeep, so he could talk to her when he went out to smoke.

However, her remains were stolen just 2 days before her funeral, either Saturday night or early Sunday morning.

“We have a plot for both of us to be interred at Willamette National and her marker will be there, but it’ll just be me alone,” Archer said.

Once news spread of the stolen urn, many people volunteered to help including John Maine, a combat veteran.

“Losing a Marine, nobody deserves that, so I’m just hoping that somebody thought it was worth value,” Maine said. “I don’t care, we just need her home so we can put her to rest.”

Volunteers have been out all Monday searching the area and also posting flyers in hopes they can find the urn and give the Archer family some closure. As of Monday night, the urn had still not been found.

The family had plans to bury Patricia Tuesday at the Willamette National Cemetery, but as of now, it’s only a memorial.

Maine also created a GoFundMe page in hopes of helping the family through this difficult time.