Pastoral Pyrotechnics - Late Minister's Ashes to be Used in July Fourth Fireworks

USATODAY.com

MARINE ON ST. CROIX, Minn. (AP) — The Rev. Gordon Bergin loved fireworks. So before he died, he decided he wanted to say goodbye in a spectacular way: aboard a flaming rocket.

Bergin's ashes will be sent into the heavens in a shower of gold sparks on Sunday during a holiday fireworks display in this scenic river town.

"It's very unique — esoteric, maybe," said his son, the Rev. Brian Bergin. "He was a unique individual. He had many interests, and this was just one of them."

"We're celebrating his life," he added.

The elder Bergin's ashes will be in a shell designed to burst into a formation that resembles crosses in the sky. He was a longtime pastor of Diamond Lake Lutheran Church in Minneapolis.

Brian Bergin said his father chose to be cremated and have a portion of his ashes built into a fireworks shell. The logistics and design of the firework were left up to Brian; Mayor Glen Mills said the city has approved the memorial.

Mike Swisher, a member of the Northern Lighters and a pyrotechnics manufacturer, was asked to build the 6-inch shell. About 1 cup of Bergin's ashes were to be used as packing material instead of the usual sawdust.

Swisher said viewers won't notice any difference in the display because of the ashes. He said the burst should be a trail of sparks and "at the end of each comet trail, there will be a little cross-shaped burst."