Some of us – when we leave this world – have some very specific last wishes.
A young New Plymouth man who died late last year had one of the more unusual ones – he wanted his tattoos preserved.
But his wish was never carried out; much to the grief of his mother.
She's very upset because she got professionals – the Public Trust – to administer her son's will.
It was the trust who failed to spot her son's last request – which now can never be fulfilled.
Jonathan Fowler loved his tattoos in life, and he wanted them preserved in death.
An usual request – a gruesome one even – but his mother doesn't think so.
“These were fairly treasured things,” Julie Fowler says. “He had these fantastic tattoos.”
Ms Fowler will only ever be able to look at them in photos – a blunder by officials meant his final wish was not met.
In his will, Jonathan asked for his tattoos to be cut from his body and preserved.
But when his mother rang the public trust office – who had his will – she was told he had no special requests.
So Jonathan was cremated and his tattoos were reduced to ashes.
The 27-year-old New Plymouth man had cystic fibrosis and passed away just after Christmas.
A week after the funeral, Julie finally saw his will and his request to save his tattoos – which the Public Trust had failed to tell her about.
She feels so upset about it, so angry she wasn't able to fulfil her son's last wish – that had he been buried, she would consider having the body exhumed.
“It's beyond gut-wrenching, he deserved better,” she says.
Julie fowler feels the Public Trust failed her family because it didn't look after the family's affairs well enough.
The Public Trust has not tried make any excuses
Ms Fowler has learned from her experience that if a will is lodged with the Public Trust – don't just ring up about it – make sure you see it and check to see if your loved one has any special requests before the funeral.
“How many people out there don't know the will of their loved one, and that it hadn't happened to them?” she says.