PEORIA, Ill. — A man in Peoria, Illinois honored his late father, an avid bowler, by bowling a perfect game using a ball filled with his father's ashes.
Video shows John Hinkle nailing his final strike and dropping to the ground, overcome with emotion, before his twin brother, Joe Hinkle, gives him a hug.
"Words can’t express how I was feeling. It’s still so surreal. I watch the video and still can’t believe it happened," John Hinkle said in a message.
Hinkle said his family has been bowling for a while now.
"Bowling has been in our family for years and it’s something we all loved to do," he said.
Though his father, also named John, bowled for 35 years in leagues in Peoria, he only achieved a personal high score of 299, never managing the elusive 300-point perfect game.
Which made it extra special when the younger John pulled off the impressive feat, using a special ball filled with his father's ashes. A bowling shop added the ashes while filing in a hole.
The younger John Hinkle said his father, who passed away from pneumonia that turned septic, would be proud of the accomplishment.
"Chills run thru my body every time I watch it and remember that this actually happened. I wish I could see my father's face one more time to see how happy he would be right now."
