An out of this world send-off! Family of woman who died in 2022 send their beloved relative's ashes into space (and they even paid for the cat too!)

A woman and her beloved cat have had their ashes scattered in space, in a send-off that is, quite literally, out of this world. 

Elizabeth Garcia, born in St. Albans but lived in Barnsley, passed away from a heart condition in 2022 at the age of 70, but she made sure to arrange an extraordinary final journey to the stars following her death. 

Elizabeth had initially been given two years left to live, but less than two months after her birthday, she sadly passed away. 

Alongside her husband John, Elizabeth was an avid explorer, and the pair would frequently travel across the globe and visit new countries and people. 

Having seen and explored many places on Earth, there was only one destination she still had left to tick off: outer space. 

Elizabeth Garcia (pictured), born in St. Albans, passed away aged 70 from a heart condition in 2022 - but she made sure to arrange an extraordinary final journey to the stars

Pictured: Elizabeth Garcia as a child

Pictured: Elizabeth Garcia's certificate issued by Aura Flights

Before she passed away, Elizabeth had arranged to have her ashes scattered in the stratosphere in a bid to live out her final wish, creating a unique and unforgettable tribute for her life. 

But the business owner was not sent alone - she was accompanied by a travel companion in the form of her cherished feline, Chloe, who had also passed away.

Her sister, Jean, said of her sibling's desire to be sent into space in a final send-off: 'They [Elizabeth and Mark] enjoyed travelling and socialising.

'She was a very generous person helping family and friends without question. Her wish was for her ashes to be sent into space.'

Elizabeth had stumbled across Aura Flights, a Sheffield-based space memorial provider.

The company's website lists its price as £2950 for its 'space memorial' service. It includes a personalised video and a memorial page on the website.

Elle Lilley, the client care and liaison for the company, said: 'It's extra special doing the launch for someone you've spoken with so much - knowing how much she wanted to be scattered in space and being able to fulfil that for her really was a rewarding and heart-warming feeling.'

Elizabeth and Chloe's ashes travelled over 100,000 feet above Earth in a scatter vessel in October 2023, which was lifted by a specialist stratospheric balloon.

With a black and white portrait photo attached to the vessel, the ashes were released and scattered across the cosmos - all captured on film for a touching memorial video.

Having seen the majority of the world, there was only one destination Elizabeth still had left to tick off: outer space

Elizabeth and Chloe's ashes travelled over 100,000 feet above Earth in a scatter vessel in January 2023, which was lifted by a specialist stratospheric balloon

With a black and white portrait photo attached to the vessel, the ashes were released and scattered across the cosmos - all captured on film for a touching memorial video

Alongside her husband John, Elizabeth (pictured) was an avid explorer, and the pair would frequently travel across the globe and visit new countries and people

Emotions ran high among family members, who observed Elizabeth's final adventure from footage played thousands of feet below. 

Jean added: 'It was emotional, but special, knowing this was exactly what Elizabeth wanted. She would have been elated with the outcome, as were we all.'

Since her remarkable and unconventional send-off, demand for the service has grown significantly over the past year - more than one launch a week was done last year and the company believe this will only increase.

A spokesperson for Aura Flights said: 'When we launched the service, there was already a cultural shift with people opting for cremations over burial and moving away from traditional funeral services towards more personalised, celebratory events.

'That change was massively accepted in the early days of the pandemic when people weren’t able to attend in-person funerals and we saw a massive uptick in inquiries that has only grown stronger since.'