She Framed His Tattoo—A Permanent Tribute to Her Husband
Some tattoos really are forever.
In Wheeling, West Virginia, nurse Angelica Radevski faced the heartbreak of the unexpected loss of her husband at age 55. But instead of sticking his ashes in a dusty urn, she opted for something far more… vivid. She framed his tattooed skin.
Angelica’s says her late husband was a walking canvas, completely inked from neck to toes—his tattoos were “like therapy,” each one a standalone story. Framing one of those stories felt like the perfect way to keep him around—literally and artistically.
Angelica had known about Save My Ink Forever ever since hearing about the unique company as a kid at Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Even before the passing of her husband, she had brought up the idea of preserving tattoos from loved ones, he thought it was a cool idea too. So, after his funeral, she and their 10-year-old son, Preston, outlined his favorite tattoo—a Pittsburgh Steelers helmet in skull form—so that it could be removed, preserved, and memorialized in a frame.
The skin was extracted by the mortician, mailed off to Ohio, and after about 90 days, their husband—er, his tattoo—returned home in a sleek dark-wood frame. “I was shocked,” Angelica shares. A good shock. Because even the little mis-shaven spots from his shaving days couldn’t be photoshopped—for real, you can see the actual hair!
Their 10 year-old agreed with his mom that “he’s really home.” And honestly, that’s the kind of punchline even grief can’t overshadow.
What do you think about preserving pieces of a loved one? Sweet, creepy, romantic, or insane? Everyone deals with grief differently and this is certainly something different..
