Why This Family Spread Their Late Mom's Ashes at Disney World
The Jackson family said the theme park was their mom Bonnie's favorite place in the world.
Impassioned Disney fans are taking their love for the theme park to the next level: by choosing to have their ashes scattered there.
The Jackson family, of Boca Raton, Florida, told Inside Edition that mom Bonnie's favorite place in the world was Disney. So after she died suddenly from pulmonary hypertension at age 56, the grieving family knew what they had to do.
"I'm pretty sure that it was my crazy sister that said, 'I think we just go to Disney,'" said daughter Dayle.
Dayle, together with sister Jodie and dad Ken, smuggled some of Bonnie's ashes into the theme park, scattering them at her favorite rides.
Some were thrown on the "It's a Small World" ride, while others were tossed near the iconic Cinderella's castle.
"She had told us she'd wanted them on the front of the Disney castle, however when we got to Disney, there is no front lawn of the castle," Dayle said with a laugh. "So we had to kind of improvise."
She added: "We were like, 'Well, Mom, I hope this is good enough.'"
As you might imagine, however, Disney isn't too pleased.
"This type of behavior is strictly prohibited and unlawful," the company said in a statement to Inside Edition. "Guests who attempt to do so will be escorted off property."
That doesn't stop people, however. Among the most popular spots to scatter ashes at the park are the Haunted Mansion and the waterway on the "Pirates of the Caribbean" ride.
"It felt right," Dayle said of her family's decision.
Employees at the park said they actually have a secret code word for when they discover the ashes of loved ones: HEPA. It refers to a HEPA filter, a high-efficiency vacuum that is required to clean the ashes up.
RELATED STORIES