Urban legends abound, and tattooing has more than it’s share of them. Lord knows that just about every tattoo artist with more than one year in the business can let fly with a couple dozen, or more. I’ve heard more than my share in my time.
This time, however much it might seem like an urban legend, I can assure you the story is true.
While most tattoo artists won’t willingly adulterate the ink they are putting into your hide with anything, we can be a sympathetic lot from time to time. I don’t advocate doing this to anyone, and if you do think about doing it, check your local laws first. No tattoo artist deserves to have their license pulled just because they had a soft heart at the time.
Dwayne Courtney, of Olympia Washington, lost his best friend, David Comstock, to cancer and was looking for a special way to pay tribute to him. According to Courtney, “One of the biggest things he feared in all the cancer – he didn’t fear passing, he didn’t fear the cancer itself – he feared being forgotten.”
Now we all know that a memorial tattoo is one of the best ways to ensure that a lost loved one is going to be remembered. People look at tattoos, and as such even folks who didn’t know the deceased will at least know that they were cared for. But, Dwayne wasn’t interested in another run of the mill “In memory of” tattoo. This one had to be special.
Friends since their teens, Dwayne had once made a necklace for David, which he wore every day, and that was what he wanted tattooed on his leg. Comstock had been cremated, so Dwayne walked into Old School Tattoo with some of the ashes, and with the permission of Comstock’s children, asked artist Buddy Green to add some of the ashes to the black ink.
Comstock was more than just a friend to Dwayne, as should be obvious by now. To Dwayne he was also a father figure, and Courtney always referred to him as “Padre.”
As Buddy Green said, “I lost my mother 10 years ago to cancer, so I can sympathize with Dwayne on this piece. This man was obviously his father.”
According to the state of Washington Courtney’s actions are legal and pose no health threat. I’ll add that they also have resulted in the ultimate “Memory of” Tattoo. I think David would be honored.