A son has been reunited with his father’s ashes days after losing them when he got drunk while carrying the coffin on a ‘last trip to the beach’.
Stan Blade took the ashes of his father, Stephen Jewitt, to the attractions at Southend Pier, Essex, as a final farewell.
But when the 39-year-old ran into some old friends, he ended up going bar-hopping, during which he lost track of where he had left his ashes.
She then had to go home and admit to her furious stepmother that the coffin was missing.
But today a delighted Mr Blade told MailOnline how he had been contacted by police and revealed that a rubbish collector had found the ashes on top of a bin on Southend seafront.
Stan Blade, 39, is reunited (pictured) with his father’s ashes after they were found on top of a bin in Southend by a rubbish collector and handed over to police.
Stan said, “My dad was a really fun guy and he would have loved the idea of me riding a roller coaster with his ashes next to me.” In the photo: Stan with his late father Stephen
Stan had initially planned to make a TikTok video visiting attractions at Southend Pier, Essex, with his father Stephen Jewitt’s ashes as the final farewell.
But instead of visiting the dodgems, he bumped into a group of old friends and ended up on a pub crawl in his old hometown.
Sometime during the night, during which he drank six cans of Stella and five pints of beer, Stan misplaced the shopping bag containing a wooden coffin containing the ashes of his father, who had died at the age of 60.
He only discovered his mistake when he finally got home shortly after midnight on March 18 and recorded the moment he had to confess to his stepmother, who had warned him not to take the ashes with him.
She confessed to her furious stepmother Emma Hopkins that she had previously told her she couldn’t get the ashes out of her house.
Musician Stan said: “I got home and my stepmom was like ‘where’s your dad?’ She was not at all happy with me and I don’t blame her.
After the ashes were found, he told MailOnline: ‘She thinks it’s funny now. After all the drama, she’s happy that she’s back.
Stan went bar-hopping instead of taking his father’s ashes with him to the dodgems on Southend Pier.
Stan (pictured with his father’s ashes before he lost them) planned to make a TikTok video visiting pleasure attractions in Southend, Essex, with his father Stephen Jewitt’s ashes as the final farewell.
After realizing that his father’s ashes were missing, Stan went straight back to checking all the pubs he had been to with his friends, but no one had seen his father. Pictured: A photo of Stan and his father when he was a child.
Stan’s father, Stephen Jewitt, died in 2011, aged 60, from complications of alcohol abuse. Pictured: Stephen Jewitt, when he was young
He added: “My dad was a really fun guy and he would have loved the idea of me riding a roller coaster with his ashes next to me.”
“He had a good sense of humor, so I just wanted to do something to pay tribute to that, since I haven’t been to my hometown in a long time.”
“The idea was to take him to the beach and get in the bumper cars and get ice cream, all the stereotypical things you do at the beach.
“But I ended up meeting friends and getting drunk on the boardwalk.”
After realizing that the ashes were missing, Stan went straight back to recording all the pubs he had been to.
She visited Chinnerys, The Cornucopia and a hotel bar on Marine Parade in Southend-on-Sea, but no one had seen her father.
He then made a call to TikTok for information on the whereabouts of the ashes.
In the video made the same night titled ‘missing person’, Stan explains that he was visiting his hometown of Leicester, where he now lives, to see family and friends when he got the idea.
If her ashes (pictured before she disappeared) are not found soon, Stan will report her missing to the police.
Instead of visiting the dodgems at Southend Pier (pictured) with his dad, he bumped into a group of old friends and ended up on a pub crawl in his old hometown.
Still slurring in the bar crawl video, she said: ‘I convinced my stepmom to do a TikTok.
“I thought it would be fun: put him in the Dodgem cars, put him in the big wheel, give him a kiss-me-quick hat and a rock stick and stuff.”
“She didn’t want me to do it, but I did it anyway.”
In response to his question, ‘Are you ready to see the funny side yet?’ Her stepmother, Emma Hopkins, 49, said: “Not really, I’ve had those ashes for 12 years.”
I told you not to take them to the boardwalk. All you want to do is do things on TikTok.
Stan’s father, Stephen Jewitt, 60, died in 2011 from complications of alcohol abuse.
