Skip to main content
Snow icon
35º

Mother’s ashes recovered after being swept away during Midland floods

'This is what I needed. I needed that,'

When the village of Sanford was hit by massive flooding in May, Kathy Parsch set out to find her mother’s ashes.

ORIGINAL STORY: Sanford woman kayaks to floating home swept away by flood to recover mother’s ashes

Surrounded by unthinkable destruction, there wasn’t a dry eye as Parsch’s ashes were pulled from mud.

Parsch thought she would never find them. He home was hit by a wall of water when the dams failed in May.

She was joined by friends on kayaks to paddle through the wreckage to find Parsch’s home in a river. After visiting the house seven times, Parsch couldn’t find her mother’s ashes.

RELATED: Midland County residents sue state of Michigan over Edenville Dam failure

“It was perfect timing, I guess,” Parsch said.

Her mother’s ashes were found the day before Sanford officials would start scooping up debris to haul away.

“This is what I needed. I needed that,” Parsch said. “Something so little, I can’t describe. It’s just overwhelming.

You can watch Shawn Ley’s full story above.


About the Authors
Shawn Ley headshot

Local 4 Defender Shawn Ley is an Emmy award-winning journalist who has been with Local 4 News for more than a decade.

Dane Kelly headshot

Dane is a producer and media enthusiast. He previously worked freelance video production and writing jobs in Michigan, Georgia and Massachusetts. Dane graduated from the Specs Howard School of Media Arts.

Loading...

Recommended Videos