My fiery pistol of a wife Teresa passed away suddenly and unexpectedly the morning of March 28, 2009 at the age of only 56 years! She loved travelling the world with me during my angling adventures but her favorite destination was French Polynesia, particularly Raiatea where we had made so many good friends. After reflecting on her passing for some time, I finally came to the realization that what would suit Teresa the most would be to scatter her ashes there. My daughter Melissa accompanied me to Raiatea July 16^th through the 23^rd to accomplish that goal. Our good friends Jean-Luc Liaut and his wife Ivana assisted us in this effort. We stayed at the Hawaiki Nui Hotel in a bungalow over the water where Teresa and I had experienced so many great times over the years. This was Melissa’s first trip to the islands and it gave her an opportunity to see first-hand what her mother loved about Raiatea.

The weather was windy and a bit rainy the first three to four days of our trip delaying our plans. That however is not too uncommon this time of year which is the beginning of French Polynesia's winter. It was far from cold though and Melissa and I enjoyed the few extra days of relaxation in such an idyllic setting. Then on Tuesday the 21st the wind layed down and Jean-Luc took us aboard the Te Manu Ata that afternoon for a trip outside the reef. He positioned the boat perfectly with respect to the wind and after a Tahitian prayer we scattered Teresa’s ashes followed by flowers, leis, and pictures of the grandchildren she loved so much!

Going to Scatter Teresa's Ashes	Melissa on the Boat
The Scattering of the Ashes	Flowers, Leis, and Pictures to Join Teresa

The remainder of the afternoon we fished for some skipjack, striped and black marlin, and spearfish but with limited luck. Jean-Luc’s young nephew did catch a few skippies and he had an absolute ball pulling them in. Teresa would have loved it! We tried for some wahoo and my targeted dogtooth tuna while crossing back inside the reef around dusk but to no avail. We had accomplished what we had set out to do however and in a beautiful way. Raiatea was Teresa’s favorite place in the world! As was true during the many trips we took there during her life I am sure she is once again enjoying one of her favorite past times keeping busy selecting the very best and probably the most expensive black pearls the South Pacific has to offer!

Hawaiki Nui Hotel, Uturoa, Raiatea	Pond at the Hawaiki Nui
Terry, Jean-Luc, and Ivana	Gift of Specially Engraved Wine Glasses

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