WEST SACRAMENTO -- Filled with otherworldly wonder, one local man is fulfilling his late wife's final wish: to travel into the great beyond.
Buzz and Connie Jones were married for 30 years. Before retirement, they owned a small print shop in West Sacramento.
Now, memories of his sweetheart are frozen in time on a shelf in their living room, where he says Connie watches over him and their beloved beagle Milo.
Buzz sees Connie in the rows and rows of books that fill those shelves where her ashes sit.
"She was a prolific reader. She liked science fiction," said Buzz. "You know, she'd tell me all sorts of things about Star Trek, she had a lot of the old memorabilia from Star Trek."
Connie had a fascination with the cosmos, a woman you could say always had her head in the clouds.
"It makes me proud that I can do this for her," Buzz said.
A year after Connie passed from cancer, her remains will be given new life: on a rocket to outer space.
Before she died, she told Buzz this is exactly how she wanted to be remembered.
In her final moments, Buzz made a promise.
"I said to her, 'Connie, I'm sending you up,' " Buzz said. "And she just kind of, she smiled. Couldn't say much."
The company, Celestis INC, was founded in 1994 and will launch its 24th memorial space flight this summer.
On it, the ashes of lost loved ones will get the sendoff of a lifetime.
"It's a lot like scattering ashes at sea or something like that, only we appeal to people that have always wanted to travel in space," said Charles Chafer, Celetis INC co-founder and CEO.
The mission behind the mission is embracing eternity with a bang.
"Traditional funerals are fine and meaningful for some folks. More and more people are looking for, what else can I do?" said Chafer "There's this moment of joy and transformation at liftoff that's hard to put into words. But it is very fulfilling."
Buzz knew he had to honor Connie's dream of lifting off into orbit. He will attend her memorial launch later this summer.
"She is part of eternity. Her remains are gonna go up and be there, be one with time," Buzz said.
Connie won't enter the atmosphere alone. The ashes of the couple's cocker spaniel, Casey, will accompany her.
The adored dog died two decades ago. Now, Casey and Connie will take one final walk together among the stars.
"And, I did it for you, dear," Buzz said, looking up to the sky, speaking to Connie directly.
Celetis INC typically sends off two to four missions a year.
The cost for some of the memorial space flights is cheaper than your average funeral. The prices range from $4,000 to $13,000, depending on if you want to send your loved one into orbit, into deep space or to the moon.
"I think I'll feel a mix of a whole bunch of different emotions. Pride. Of course, always sadness. What is sad but for me?" asked Buzz. "It's a celebration of life."
Learn more about the memorial space flights on their website.
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