SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla. — Two weeks before Sgt. Lee Cosens died from cancer last April, he decided he wanted his remains divided. As a veteran, part of his remains were buried at Sarasota National Cemetery and soon of his remains will become part of a reef in the Gulf of Mexico.
“In the end, he said, I want somewhere the girls can visit," his widow Amy Consens said on Friday. "The cemetery is one thing, he said, but I want somewhere the girls can go and feel like I am there.”
Cosens was diagnosed with stage IV metastatic kidney cancer, likely because of exposure to burn pits in Afghanistan during one his tours in the U.S. Army.
On Friday, Cosens widow and daughters created a concrete ball with some of his remains. That ball will be added to a concrete dome-shaped reef. They decorated his individual reef with things that were special to Cosens, including a challenge coin, an army pin, rocks and sea glass from Lake Michigan, a sand dollar and a horse shoe.
During his tenure with the Bradenton Police Department, Cosens was part of several specialty units. But it was his last position with the marine unit, that was his favorite.
"The police boat was his pride and joy," Amy Cosens said.
After his diagnosis, the Cosens and their two daughters Savannah Lee, 8, and Margaret Lee, 7, spent a lot of weekends away on her parents boat.
“It was just our happy place, somewhere we could go after he was diagnosed and just set it all aside," she said.
While many people aren't aware that they can turn their loved ones' remains into a part of an ocean reef, cremation is gaining popularity, according to Reef Innovations.
Today about 60% of people who die are cremated, but it is expected to grow to 80% by 2035.
“So, you got cremated remains, what do you do with them. Do they just sit in an urn forever?" Margie Ploense said. "No, I don’t think that’s the best use of human cremains. People do this, therefore, because they love the ocean.”
On Monday, Cosens reef will be placed out in the Gulf of Mexico at Reef Solutions reef site, Silvertooth. The site has more than 1,000 individual reefs, about one mile off of Lido Key in about 35 feet of water. The depth allows for anyone with recreational scuba certification to reach it.
The dome-shaped individual reefs are made of PH-neutral concrete and have holes so that marine life can swim through.
“My hope is that one day, five or ten years down line, the girls can get their scuba certifications and go visit," Amy Cosens said.
