Woman searching for necklace with husband’s ashes
The teardrop necklace is priceless for Diana Nestmann and, more than anything, she wants it back.
The necklace contained some of her late husband’s ashes. It was lost in Grimsby last week, the day before his funeral.
“She is still trying to deal with my dad’s death,” said Cat Dawson, the couple’s daughter. “They were married 53 years and never fought a day in their life. I asked him before he died, how did you do that? He said you just learn to talk things out. You don’t need to argue. You take a step back and you talk calmly.
“My mom and dad adopted me and gave me a life I could never have had. We basically just want the necklace back.”
The family is offering a $100 reward. A friend, Doug Newton, owner of Hellbender Ink Tattoos, is chipping in with a $50 gift certificate. Facebook messages have been posted. Dawson has distributed flyers throughout Grimsby. Anyone with information about the necklace can contact Dawson at 289-527-3435.
“We picked up the necklaces from the crematorium, and my mom had hers in the little bag they give you,” Dawson said. “My mom said she put it in her purse because she thought if she put it down, she would lose it. We went out to do some errands together.
“We only went to the Bank of Montreal, Food Basics and the Dollar Store. She pulled her wallet out somewhere, and it must have fallen out.”
Dawson said the she is amazed at the support the family has been getting. They have had a few leads — including one where someone said she saw a teen in a Grimsby high school football jacket pick it up — but the search continues.
Andrew Nestmann was 83 when he died of complications from chronic obstructive puli-mary disease. He worked at Stelco in Hamilton as a foreman before retiring.
The f uneral didn’t go as planned, Dawson said. First, there was the lost necklace. Then, when they arrived at the cemetery, the ashes weren’t there.
“We have a minister and all of our family and friends there and the grave is dug, but there is no urn,” she said. “We are all standing around waiting and waiting. The grounds-keeper finally shows up and he unlocks the office to get the urn. Then he comes running across the cemetery like he is Tom Brady with urn under is arm. We were yelling, ‘Slow down, slow down. Don’t drop it.’
“I said to my mom, this has got to be dad playing a sick joke. My dad had a big sense of humour. He would have really got a kick out of all of this.”