US lawyer gets his loch wish after 30 years

AN AMERICAN lawyer’s dying wish – to have his ashes scattered on Loch Ness – has finally been fulfilled after more than 30 years.

His elderly brother sent them by courier to funeral directors in Inverness, who agreed to carry out the ceremony at no cost.

As a piper played a lament, the ashes were scattered, together with yellow rose petals. It was a final farewell to Alan Parker Heaton, from Gainesville, Florida, who died, aged 40, in 1987.

His brother Cherrill had pledged to scatter the ashes in the Highlands after Alan, pictured, fell in love with the area on a couple of visits. But he never managed the journey and now, aged 85, he realised he never would.

He emailed undertakers John Fraser and Son after reading about how the firm performed a similar ceremony back in 2008.

Mr Heaton said: ‘Although he had travelled to many places around the world, Alan travelled around Scotland at least twice, staying at Culloden House Hotel on his last trip. He wanted his ashes scattered on Loch Ness because of the loch’s beauty. He enjoyed the people of the Highlands.’

Mr Heaton kept his brother’s cremated remains for 30 years. He considered scattering them in the Grand Canyon or burying them in the cemetery in the Florida town where his bachelor brother had lived and worked, but none of that felt right.

He said: ‘I contacted John Fraser and Son and feel very fortunate that I did so. They said that if I would send Alan’s remains, they’d take care of the arrangements and scattering, at no charge.’

Funeral directors Vicki Fraser and Sarah Maclean took to the water last Wednesday and performed the ceremony, which was captured on video.

The undertaker said she was proud and humbled to help the family.