Made In Chicago: Egress Cremains Scattering
(CBS) -- Susan and Dennis Martinek have been married for 33 years.
"We would rather fly than do anything. We fly even if we're not scattering."
And by scattering, she means scattering ashes. Their business is called Egress - and they scatter the ashes of loved ones from their Cessna 172.
"We just come by, make a pass and I wag my wings. I go make a turn like this - come back, wag our wings and slow it down and Susan will do the scattering. And after we finish we wag our wings goodbye. And we're gone."
Podcast
"We get to know the people," says Susan.
"One of the hardest ones for us... was, there were three guys - they all lived in Hawaii together. One of the guys got AIDS and subsequently died of AIDS. And he was from Chicago.
"And the two guys had gotten in touch with us and said, 'Is there a possibility we could go with you and scatter our friend over the lakefront?
"And we said, 'Sure we can do that, and we did. And everybody was crying... What could you say, you know?"
And then there are the elderly ladies who watch from a downtown high rise as their friends' remains are scattered over Lake Michigan.
"The women - their friends - would sit on the balconies with a glass of champagne as Dennis flew by. And they would toast, '(To) Blanche or Bernice,' or whoever."
The Martineks say they've scattered a few hundred remains, including pets, since they started 22 years ago.
"And people can get closure from that. And the family members will be there and they'll see it. And for that minute, I'm part of that family."
For more information, visit www.aerialegress.com
