American widow preserves late husband’s tattoo as unique memento

An American widow has framed a morbidly romantic memento of her late husband.

Virginia Radevski of West Virginia immortalised one of her husband TJ’s more than 70 tattoos, cutting off a piece of his inked skin in tribute to his memory.

In a TikTok video that has now amassed 30 million views, Radevski explained she and TJ had agreed to the process before his sudden death.

“I knew we were going to do this because we had talked about it before.”

She used a marker to circle the tattoo, which is a skull designed to look like a helmet for American football team the Pittsburgh Steelers, including some of his other tattoos in the outline.

With her permission, the mortician then cut the tissue off and put it in a Save My Ink Forever preservation bag.

The tattoo is now preserved, along with TJ’s hair and skin texture, in a glass frame.

@realangelicavibes

Everyone’s asking how we preserved my husband’s tattoo… This is just one piece of the story, but there is so much more to tell. But I want you to know how we did this, and why it mattered so much. 🖤 #tattoostorytime #grieftok #viralstory #preservedtattoo #widowstrong #storytime2025 #angelicavibes #realafmom #healinginpublic #steelers

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“When they showed us his tattoo, it was indescribable as to what that felt [like]. It wasn’t just one feeling, it wasn’t an emotion, it was physical.”

The Ohio company has been helping grieving families memorialise their relatives since 2016.

Preservation of an individual tattoo is priced at US$1699 (NZ$2870), while a leg sleeve sets loved ones back as much as US$15,000 ($25,341).

Radevski told People she had heard of the idea as a child when it was featured in Ripley’s Believe It Or Not!

“I never questioned why it stuck with me.”

She said her and TJ’s son Preston, 10, have drawn a lot of comfort from the eerie artefact.

“When we want to know he’s here, we can hold the frame, and it does so much more than a picture.”

Radevski is hopeful that by sharing her experience, the process could be normalised for others who might find it helpful.