A grieving West Virginia wife created a stomach-turning way to remember her husband by framing a piece of his skin that featured a meaningful tattoo.
Angelica Radevski, a parent and childbirth educator, chose to preserve her late husband TJ’s memory in a truly unique way.
‘TJ Radevski was and STILL is the #1 Pittsburgh Steelers fan,’ Radevski wrote on Facebook.
‘So when he died, our son chose to preserve this tattoo – his favorite one- forever.’
Radevski said that the tattoo was chosen out of more than 70 that her husband had tattooed, and her son said: ‘This is the one Dad would want.’
The framed fragment is her ‘husband’s real tattoo…the wrinkles I used to trace when we laid in bed.’
‘This isn’t a replica. You can see his hair, his wrinkles, the ink I kissed goodnight,’ she wrote on TikTok.
Radevski shared photos of her and her son holding a unique memento, which displayed a piece of preserved skin inked with a skull in the Steelers’ emblem and colors.
‘We didn’t get ashes. We got something we can still touch,’ she added.
Angelica Radevski, a parent and childbirth educator, chose to preserve her late husband TJ’s memory by preserving one of his most cherished tattoos
Radevski shared images of herself and her son holding up the keepsake, which featured the piece of skin tattooed with a skull with the Steelers logo and colors
Radevski said that the tattoo was chosen out of more than 70 that her husband had tattooed, and her son said: ‘This is the one Dad would want’
In a TikTok video, Radevski explained that she and her son ‘don’t think it’s weird at all.’
‘When my husband passed away unexpectedly, I knew that this is something that we were going to do because we had talked about it.’
The grieving widow went to Save My Ink Forever, the only company in the world that offers this kind of keepsake service.
Save My Ink Forever worked with the mortician to extract the skin and keep the tattoo intact before it was sent to the company in Ohio.
“It took roughly 90 days,” Radevski explained in an online video. “Seeing his tattoo was beyond words. The emotions were overwhelming and layered,” she expressed.
The tattooed skin is now sealed behind a glass frame and cannot be touched, yet Radevski mentioned it maintains a ‘tangible’ link to her late husband.
“This process has aided me in ways I wasn’t aware I needed, in moments I thought I’d handle on my own. It’s been an indescribable journey for me, my son, our family, and our friends,” she added.
Radevski said she has shared her journey online to help spread awareness about this type of keepsake.
The grieving widow went to Save My Ink Forever, the only company in the world that offers this kind of keepsake service
Radevski’s husband tragically passed away ‘unexpectedly’ on March 21 this year at the age of 55. TJ is fondly remembered for his ‘boundless energy and a heart bigger than any stadium.’
‘TJ has now helped over 50 million people know this is an option when planning the end of our story,’ she wrote on Facebook.
Radevski’s husband passed away ‘unexpectedly’ on March 21 earlier this year at 55 years old.
TJ is remembered as someone with ‘unmatched energy and a heart bigger than any stadium.’
‘TJ’s booming, contagious laugh could fill a room and make you feel like you belonged,’ his obituary said.
‘A die-hard Pittsburgh Steelers fan, TJ’s loyalty to the black and gold ran deep. That same passion spilled over into the years he spent coaching his son Preston’s football and wrestling teams.
‘He wasn’t just a coach – he was a mentor, a motivator, and the loudest supporter on the sidelines… TJ was the friend you could always count on, the guy who’d hype you up and show up for you no matter what.’
Radevski wrote that TJ was not just her husband but her ‘best friend.’
