Mix-up at Lowe’s refund desk sees grandpa’s ashes put on store shelf, Maine cops say

A bizarre mix-up in Maine saw a man’s ashes lost on the shelves at Lowe’s, after his family inadvertently put them in a ceiling light box that was returned for a refund.

Grandpa’s remains have been reunited with the family, but that happened only after someone bought the ceiling light and came across the ashes tucked inside, according to the Bangor Police Department.

The saga was first shared Dec. 12 on Facebook, when the Bangor Police Department asked: “Who the heck has (Granpa) G’s cremains?”

“Stranger things have happened, but this is a bit perplexing to a crew of more than adequately adept police officers,” the department wrote.

“Here’s the story. ... A local man purchased a ceiling light at Lowe’s Home Improvement store in Bangor, Maine. ... Inside the sealed box was a collection of family memorabilia that had no place inside a light box from Lowe’s Home Improvement emporium. He found old family photos ... and a small tan manila envelope containing (Granpa) G’s ashes.”

The department learned of the discovery from staff at Lowe’s, officials said.

No other names were among the mementos, leading the department to ask the community for help in finding the family. The post has since gotten about 5,000 reactions and comments.

“If you know them, notify them, or notify us through a private message on the Facebook. If you are ‘them,’ you can call the station to collect your box of memories,” officials wrote.

“This will have to be a Facebook miracle. It very well could be that the folks don’t care what happened to the photos. Granpa G could have been the name of one of their pets. We just don’t know. We are giving it a shot.”

The department posted an update Monday, Dec. 13, saying the ashes had been reunited with the family, and offered an explanation. (The followup post has since been removed.)

“In short ... a gentleman purchased a ceiling light at Lowe’s, but found that it just wasn’t the right one,” officials wrote.

“He later purchased another ceiling light, but did not return the first one at that time. When he grabbed the box to return the first light, he did not know that his wife had already stored some photos, and Granpa G’s ashes inside the now taped up cardboard box. He took it back.”

The family, who declined to pose for photos, was happy to get the ashes back, police said. And “the pleasant lady said that she will — from now on — label boxes more efficiently.”

This story was originally published December 14, 2021 at 6:37 AM with the headline "Mix-up at Lowe’s refund desk sees grandpa’s ashes put on store shelf, Maine cops say."