No, she didn't have fries with that.
A Twin Cities company granted a family's final wish and made an urn in the shape of a hallmark fast food that the dearly departed craved.
Foreverence, an Eden Prairie company that cranks out individually designed, 3-D printed urns, crafted 57-year-old Mel Burrows' eternal vessel in the shape of the classic White Castle Slider — complete with onions and pickles.
"Let's treat ourselves," reads the epitaph on the front of the castle, which acts as a platform.
Burrows, of Spotswood, N.J., learned last year that she had brain cancer. As a special treat after her treatments, she and sister Stacey Parrinello would sneak out of the hospital and visit their nearby White Castle.
"Let's treat ourselves" became the catch phrase of their clandestine trips, Parrinello said this week, explaining the epitaph.
"It might seem a bit silly to some people, but White Castle provided a sense of normalcy during Mel's treatments," Parrinello said. "I loved that Mel was able to find such joy in one of life's simple pleasures."
Parrinello shared her story with White Castle executives, and they included the sisters in their 2016 "Cravers Hall of Fame" class, which will be inducted during a ceremony in June. As a bonus, the Columbus, Ohio, company is donating $10,000 to the American Cancer Society in Burrows' name.
Pete Saari, founder and CEO of Foreverence, said, "Our mission is to honor and celebrate the lives of family members and friends in a unique way." Foreverence has also created urns in the shapes of a space shuttle, piano, ballet slippers, a guitar, an elephant, to name a few.
Burrows' ceramic urn measures 8 inches in height, length and width. It weighs 3 pounds and cost $2,500.
Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482
