YULEE, Fla. — A heartfelt reunion has brought much-needed closure to the family of Mark Johnson after his ashes were unexpectedly found in a thrift store by Yulee woman Nicole McClain.
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McClain’s discovery, made while sorting donations at a local thrift store, led to a remarkable chain of events. After seeing the urn keychain that contained Johnson’s remains, McClain set out to locate his family, armed only with a name and birth and death dates.
Her persistence paid off after Action News Jax aired her story on Wednesday when Mark Johnson’s family saw the broadcast and recognized the urn.
READ: Yulee woman on mission to return ashes found at thrift store to family
In an emotional twist, Cindy Lizama, Johnson’s ex-wife, was one of the first to learn about the discovery.
“My stepson texted me and said, ‘Hey Cindy, I think my dad is on the news,’” Lizama recalled. “And I was like, ‘What?’”
Lizama, who lives in Washington state, had been unable to retrieve all of Johnson’s ashes following his death from colon cancer in 2020. At the time, complications with his girlfriend prevented her from receiving the remains, and only a small vial was sent to her—a vial that turned out to be the very urn McClain had found.
“It was just a small vial, just like the one you found,” Lizama explained. “His girlfriend at the time picked up the remains, kept most of them, and sent me a small part.”
For Adriana Johnson, Mark’s daughter, the reunion of her father’s ashes was a bittersweet but comforting experience.
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“He was a big goofball. He was a fun dad, and I really miss him,” said Adriana, who is now 19 years old. “Having this piece of him back feels like part of the wound is healing.”
McClain, who spent months trying to track down Johnson’s family, expressed her joy at the reunion: “I’m so happy that you guys get this back. It just makes me feel really good.”
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The ashes were officially returned to Johnson’s family on Thanksgiving Day, offering them a final piece of their loved one. As Adriana remarked with a smile, “We said last night, he always wanted to be famous… now he’s got his 15 minutes of fame.”
Mark Johnson’s urn will now be shipped back to his family, closing a chapter on a long-awaited reunion that will be remembered for years to come.
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