Jonathan Gill knew he would never forget the details of the day his 24-year-old twin brothers died in a boating accident on Lake Hopatcong in northern New Jersey. A frantic call from his friend, a harrowing search by a rescue team, and breaking the grim news to his mother.
But Mr. Gill was worried that as the months and years went by, the memories he had of Jason beyond that tragic day would begin to fade. : to save some of his brothers.
Now, whenever Mr. Gill tries to quickly recall his twins, he walks past the collage of photos and glances over the shelf beside his desk, which serves as an altar. There, a black and white skull and his three rose tattoos are lifted and preserved. It sits on the skin of Jason’s left shoulder, protected by a frame.
“We have his ashes, but you can’t see his physical part,” said Gill, 27. It’s nice to have a little part of him so that you somehow hug him and keep him by your side.
Saved Tattoos is the work of Save My Ink Forever, a company started in Northfield, Ohio in 2016 by third-generation mortician Kyle Sherwood and his father, Mike.
Limited attempts to preserve tattoos date back decades, but few companies in the world do the same job as Mr. Sherwood.’ Some mourners have their cremated remains made into jewelry or infused into blown glass sculptures in the name of keeping their loved ones close.
According to the National Association of Funeral Directors, more mourners are asking funeral homes about the service. Walker Posey, director of the funeral home and spokesman for the association, said more than half of the roughly 400 clients inquire about memorabilia each year. This has grown exponentially since his five years ago when clients rarely made such requests. Funeral laws in 49 states (except Washington) allow tattoos to be preserved.
Three in ten Americans have at least one tattoo. According to a 2019 Ispos poll, Popularity of permanent ink It continues to grow among young people.
The idea of leaving a beloved relative’s tattooed skin intact and hanging it on the wall may seem inconceivable to some. However, family members who have worked with the Sherwood family say it is comforting, stressing that people’s tattoos often mean a lot.
Margie Gatehouse of Salt Lake City, who was dying of cirrhosis of the liver this spring, approached her with the idea that her daughters would save his tattoo.
“I thought it was morbid and impossible,” Gatehouse, 52, said. “How can you cut something out of someone?”
Her daughters, Courtney and Nicole, explained to their mother that their father was on board and found Save My Ink Forever. They asked her to frame a black and white skull tattoo with a ribbon with her name on it and imagine how special it would be to preserve her for years to come. She reluctantly agreed.
Now, Gatehouse says she couldn’t be more grateful for listening to her daughters. Her picture frame hanging in her living room keeps her and her husband connected.
“I’m glad I didn’t miss my chance,” she said.
Historians trace the rise of tattoo preservation to the mid-to-late 19th century. Japanese physician Shoichi Fukushi is recognized as one of the pioneers in the field, said Carly Etts, a postdoc at the Rochester Institute of Technology who studies the art history of tattoos.
The concept of preserving a loved one’s tattoo has come and gone in many forms, but Sherwood spent two years working out the details, exploring ways to perfect the preservation process while still treating the tattoo as a work of art. .
When Save My Ink Forever receives a request to save a tattoo, the company will send a package of materials to the funeral home to remove the tattoo. The undertaker will be instructed through an instructional video to remove only the amount of skin necessary to save the tattoo. The process is “really hard to go wrong,” Sherwood said. He said that if something goes wrong, his team can usually fix it.
The undertaker will put the tattoo in an antiseptic. They are then shipped to Ohio, where a team of about five people cleans, trims excess skin, and repairs wounds.
The skin may be damaged. Or, in the case of Mr. Gill’s twin’s water-soaked skin, it takes extra care to restore the tattoo to its former glory.
“It’s like cleaning a dirty window,” said Sherwood, emphasizing that his team never alters tattoos. He details the process, which takes about three to four months per tattoo. refused to disclose.
Finally, the tattoo gets a frame. The family chooses the type of frame and mat, and the professional framer begins. Each tattoo is sewn onto canvas, the frame is infused with nitrogen, and museum-grade UV-blocking glass is inserted in place to keep it in pristine condition.
In order to have the materials to complete his science, Sherwood came up with the idea that instead of paying for abdominal tuck surgery, which removes excess skin and fat, he could practice on that discarded skin.
Costs range from around $1,700 for a small 5″ x 5″ tattoo to over $120,000 for a full body suit save.
While some may find his business quirky, Sherwood prides himself on being able to give people long-lasting physical memories of their loved ones.
The undertaker recalled a case of a man who had two daughters’ names tattooed into his heart. The family considered whether to save the tattoos, but Sherwood suggested cutting them in half, styled as friendship necklaces, so that each daughter would have a piece of her father.
In another instance, a grieving mother helped keep her son’s memory alive after her son was murdered. Her tattoos included “Papa Eddie” written on a scroll with a fishing rod in honor of her grandfather, and was inked by a male uncle who also died. In saving the tattoo, Sherwood said it represented not only his son but also “three generations of the family.”
“You can’t explain the satisfaction people have and the connections I’ve made,” Sherwood said. “It’s very humbling and empowering to have that kind of influence on someone.”
Preserving tattoos is not just for the deceased.
Save My Ink Forever saves a handful of tattoos for amputees and recently received a new request from Asher J. Heart who wants to save a tattoo after having gender confirmation surgery next year. Hart, 30, from Muskegon, Michigan, said he felt the chest ink wasn’t appropriate anymore, but it would serve as a tangible part of who he used to be.
“For me, it’s not about erasing the past, it’s about erasing the pain of the past,” Hart said.
In Gil’s case, in addition to keeping his twin brother’s tattoo in a prominent place, he honors him with two tattoos: a portrait of Jason’s face and a replica of Jason’s glowing lantern tattoo. I decided to.
Gill said he hopes those tattoos will outlive him as well.
“Hopefully someone will do it for us,” Gill said. “You don’t need it while you’re away. Once you die, you die. Don’t take anything with you.”