Thrift Store Worker Who Found Man's Ashes in Donations Says It Was 'Meant to Happen': 'A Very Crazy Story'

Mar. 15, 2025

Mark Johnson and his daughter Adriana; his ashes that were found.Photo:Cindy Lizama; Action News Jax Facebook

Cindy Lizama; Action News Jax Facebook

A Florida thrift store worker is reliving the moment she reunited avery thankful family with their relative’s ashesafter she discovered them among donations.Speaking with PEOPLE, Nicole McClain recalled finding an urn keychain containing some of Mark Johnson’s remains while working at a local thrift store in Yulee.“I thought it was a container that you’d carry like [Ibuprofen] in or small jewelry. When I opened it I was confused for a second then I checked out the outside more closely and saw the dates,” McClain tells PEOPLE.“I put two and two together. It was one of the most unique things I’ve found. I’ve found school IDs, change, pictures… but never something like that. It didn’t feel right just throwing it away so I took it home and hoped his family would be local.“A photo of Mark Johnson’s ashes.Action News Jax FacebookMcClain says she was “really excited” to be able to connect with Johnson’s family to reunite them with the ashes after his death in March 2020 following a colon cancer diagnosis. After searching for two months, McClain decided to ask local stationAction News Jaxfor help in finding the family, and it worked.“I tried on Facebook in local groups for about two months. Had no luck,” McClain says, adding that once the story was out there, she’d “found [the family] within two hours.“Nicole McClain.Courtesy Nicole McClainIn a message sent to McClain, Johnson’s ex-wife, Cindy Lizama said his teenage daughter Adriana, 19, “cried” when she’d been shown the local news report.“Adriana is beyond thrilled to have a part of her dad back,” Lizama wrote to McClain about Adriana, who she has adopted.Mark Johnson and his daughter Adriana.Cindy LizamaLizama, from Illinois, previously lived in Florida following her split from Johnson, but now lives in Washington state. She said Johnson had ended up also moving to Florida to be closer to Adriana amid his cancer diagnosis, per a message sent to McClain.She added in the message to the thrift store worker that Johnson’s then-girlfriend had kept his ashes, and she hadn’t sent them to his daughter following his death on March 29, 2020.“I didn’t even think I was doing anything super amazing,” McClain tells PEOPLE of reuniting the family with such a precious item. “I just figured it’s what anyone would do. When I found out it was his daughter’s it made me really happy I was able to give it to her and give her another piece of her dad.“Cindy Lizama and her daughter Adriana.Cindy LizamaNever miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.The thrift store worker managed to get the ashes back to the family for Thanksgiving. “It was one of those it was meant to happen things. I happened to work at that store, pick that box to go through, find that item,” McClain shares.“The son of Mark who lives in Ocala actually saw the Jacksonville news and called his mom and was like ‘I think someone found dad’s ashes.’ So many events came together to have this happen,” McClain continues.“It was a very crazy story of how she [Lizama] got to Wa. and her husband’s ashes were here,” McClain adds, revealing that Lizama and her daughter “were so grateful.”

A Florida thrift store worker is reliving the moment she reunited avery thankful family with their relative’s ashesafter she discovered them among donations.

Speaking with PEOPLE, Nicole McClain recalled finding an urn keychain containing some of Mark Johnson’s remains while working at a local thrift store in Yulee.

“I thought it was a container that you’d carry like [Ibuprofen] in or small jewelry. When I opened it I was confused for a second then I checked out the outside more closely and saw the dates,” McClain tells PEOPLE.

“I put two and two together. It was one of the most unique things I’ve found. I’ve found school IDs, change, pictures… but never something like that. It didn’t feel right just throwing it away so I took it home and hoped his family would be local.”

A photo of Mark Johnson’s ashes.Action News Jax Facebook

Action News Jax Facebook

McClain says she was “really excited” to be able to connect with Johnson’s family to reunite them with the ashes after his death in March 2020 following a colon cancer diagnosis. After searching for two months, McClain decided to ask local stationAction News Jaxfor help in finding the family, and it worked.

“I tried on Facebook in local groups for about two months. Had no luck,” McClain says, adding that once the story was out there, she’d “found [the family] within two hours.”

Nicole McClain.Courtesy Nicole McClain

Courtesy Nicole McClain

In a message sent to McClain, Johnson’s ex-wife, Cindy Lizama said his teenage daughter Adriana, 19, “cried” when she’d been shown the local news report.

“Adriana is beyond thrilled to have a part of her dad back,” Lizama wrote to McClain about Adriana, who she has adopted.

Mark Johnson and his daughter Adriana.Cindy Lizama

Cindy Lizama

Lizama, from Illinois, previously lived in Florida following her split from Johnson, but now lives in Washington state. She said Johnson had ended up also moving to Florida to be closer to Adriana amid his cancer diagnosis, per a message sent to McClain.

She added in the message to the thrift store worker that Johnson’s then-girlfriend had kept his ashes, and she hadn’t sent them to his daughter following his death on March 29, 2020.

“I didn’t even think I was doing anything super amazing,” McClain tells PEOPLE of reuniting the family with such a precious item. “I just figured it’s what anyone would do. When I found out it was his daughter’s it made me really happy I was able to give it to her and give her another piece of her dad.”

Cindy Lizama and her daughter Adriana.Cindy Lizama

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.

The thrift store worker managed to get the ashes back to the family for Thanksgiving. “It was one of those it was meant to happen things. I happened to work at that store, pick that box to go through, find that item,” McClain shares.

“The son of Mark who lives in Ocala actually saw the Jacksonville news and called his mom and was like ‘I think someone found dad’s ashes.’ So many events came together to have this happen,” McClain continues.

“It was a very crazy story of how she [Lizama] got to Wa. and her husband’s ashes were here,” McClain adds, revealing that Lizama and her daughter “were so grateful.”

source: people.com