Veteran’s wish to have ashes fired out of cannon granted

By Daniel Smithson

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    RIDGETOP, Tennessee (WSMV) — A veteran’s last wish to have his ashes shot out of a cannon came true last weekend, according to our partners at Smokey Barn News.

Army Veteran John T. Picton’s ashes were shot out of a cannon at the Morgan on the Rim Civil War Reenactment in Ridgetop, Tennessee, Smokey Barn reported. Picton, 88, was born in Chicago and died in Ocala, Florida. He served in the military from 1952 to 1956.

Photos of the reenactment show Picton’s family smiling alongside actors as they loaded his ashes into the cannon and an Abraham Lincoln actor presented an American flag to his family.

Following the cannon ceremony, there was a multi-gun salute and a helicopter flyover by Highland Rim Aviation.

“Picton loved God, his family and his country. He was an avid historian of the Civil War, a founding member of the Clearwater Civil War Roundtable, a Kentucky Colonel, and member of the Firestone Gum Dippers Association,” his obituary says. “Jack had an amazing memory, even in his golden years, and was a master storyteller! He had a servant’s heart and was a mentor to many.”

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