Man bowls perfect game with father’s ashes inside the ball
John Hinkle Jr., of Peoria, Illinois, honored his late father, John Hinkle Sr., by bowling a perfect game using a ball that contained his father’s ashes.
Hinkle Sr. was an avid bowler, but had never achieved the perfect score of 300. His son wanted to ensure that happened. “I was shaking. I had tears in my eyes the last couple balls,” the 38-year-old said. “I just knew what it meant to my dad and my brother to do this.”
Hinkle Jr. dropped to the ground, overcome, as his twin brother embraced him during the emotional winning moment. “I started crying more when he approached me because we did what we said we would do,” said Hinkle Jr.
“Words can’t express how I was feeling. It’s still so surreal. I watch the video and still can’t believe it happened,” Hinkle Jr. said in a message.
Hinkle Jr. said his family has been bowling for a long time. “Bowling has been in our family for years and it’s something we all loved to do,” he said.
Their father passed in 2016, and their mother just two years prior. The brothers considered quitting bowling, but they wanted to continue to honor their parents’ legacy.
Hinkle Jr. first mentioned putting his father’s ashes in a bowling ball in 2017, but it took over a year to find someone willing to do it.
His childhood friend, who had just opened up a pro shop, agreed to do it. She sealed the ashes in the thumb hole on the first try.
Hinkle Jr. is playing in the upcoming Tournament of Champions, the last tournament he played in with his father. He will retire the ball containing his father’s ashes after the tournament.
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