The Traveling Turtles

My name is Andrea and father passed away on October 11, 2025 from prostate cancer. The first thing everyone seemed to ask right after his passing was when will you be having his funeral. My father never really wanted to have a funeral and honestly I was not prepared for one either. I struggle to talk about him without crying and I definitely did not want to stand up and give a speech about how amazing he was as a father and how much I miss him while sobbing uncontrollably. Most importantly I did not want people to leave the funeral and have his memory fade. I want my father’s memory to live on. I want people that did not know him to learn about how truly incredible he was as a person. Prior to his passing we went to a therapist together and she recommended we come up with something that he could bring to my life after passing that would let me know his spirit was visiting me. We immediately looked at each other and said “a turtle”. While sitting by his side when he was passing I came up with the idea of the traveling turtles. My father loved traveling and in retirement he planned to travel. He had a list of places he wanted to go and was open to going on any adventures if you asked him to join you. Unfortunately approximately a month after he finally retired he was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer so he did not get to travel like he hoped. I searched for different artists that would make blown glass turtles and incorporate his ashes into the art pieces. I found a local artist, David Contreras, that was up to the challenge and he created the perfect little turtles. Now the turtles will travel the world like my father planned. People can take pictures of him in different places, share the adventures he is going on and most importantly people will be talking about him along the way. This is my way of honoring my incredible father and making sure he travels the world and meets new people like he always wanted to do.

The man behind the turtles and the spirit you will be traveling with. Meet my father Ron. This picture is a fantastic example of who he was as a person. He always had a smile on his face. He always had a fantastic sense of humor and he always made people laugh. He was always up for an adventure. He was so talented and creative. If I inherited only 1% of his creativity I would be so extremely talented in life. He was always willing to give you the shirt of his back. He always helped others and never expected a thing in return. He never talked down to other and if someone treated him poorly he always took the higher road. Without a doubt one of the best human beings I have personally ever known and I am beyond grateful to call him my father. I will never forget the day I took this picture. For his 64th Birthday my husband and I surprised him with a new travel trailer. He went to the RV dealership and found this trailer right before a holiday weekend and we had an RV trip planned. My father had talked to the owner of the dealership and he was going to work on some numbers for him and get back to him after the long weekend. What my father didn’t know was I already talked to the owner of the dealership and we bought the trailer for him. My father talked about that trailer all weekend on our vacation and my husband and I just kept fueling the fire knowing when we got home it was going to have a SOLD sign on it. His birthday was about a week away and the dealership owner parked it out by the street so every time my father drove by it said SOLD. You could just see the complete disappointment in his face and hear it in his voice. The day of his birthday I dropped my husband at the dealership early and he was waiting in the trailer when we arrived with balloons and cake. I made my dad go inside the trailer one last time before the new buyer picked it up. When he walked in we yelled surprise and he just broke down in tears. It was the first time in my life I felt like I could give him something that he was beyond excited about. We always said it is not the destination that really matters. It is the journey and all the exciting things you do along the way. He had one heck of a journey and lived life without regret. 

I truly hope you will join us on our adventures. If you are planning a fun adventure and would like to bring my father along please let me know. I would love for him to meet new people, see new places and be a part of some really cool pictures!

David Contreras has been mastering the art of glassblowing for over two decades. After relocating to Florida in 2022 from Seattle, David's artistry has taken on new dimensions, deeply inspired by the coastal environment. David is also known for his specialized cremation glass art, a profoundly rewarding aspect of his work. By infusing glass with the ashes of loved ones, David creates meaningful memorial pieces that offer comfort and solace to grieving families. David's passion for sharing his knowledge and skills with others remains strong. He offers mobile glass demonstrations, bringing the fascinating process of glassblowing to corporate and private parties and local events. These demonstrations allow participants to witness the artistry involved in glassblowing and to appreciate the dedication required to master this craft. Beyond his glasswork, David is an avid rock hound and mineral collector. This love for nature is seamlessly integrated into his art through lapidary work and opal stones to create mesmerizing optical illusions. His work, both in glass and in stone, continues to evolve, reflecting his deep connection to the natural world and his commitment to his craft.

Please visit his website www.DavidContrerasGlass.com for more information.