Stephen Hawking's ashes interred at Westminster Abbey

[Princess Turandot]

Source: The Guardian

“We remember Isaac Newton for answers,” said Prof Kip Thorne. “We remember Hawking for questions.”

For 40 years, physicists have pondered the questions raised by Prof Stephen Hawking’s work, and perhaps his greatest legacy is not his remarkable discoveries, but the impact of his work on future theories of physics. Thorne, a Nobel prize-winning physicist, paid tribute to his friend Hawking by saying that future scientists would not stand on the shoulders of giants, as Newton had it, but “on the shoulders of Hawking”.

Hawking’s remains were buried on Friday beneath a sunlit arch, between those of Darwin and Newton, at a memorial service at Westminster Abbey.

In an example of the public affection held for Hawking – giant of science, best-selling author, pop culture icon – 27,000 people had applied to attend the event, from which 1,000 were picked. Among them were schoolchildren, and students from colleges for people with special educational needs.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/jun/15/stephen-hawking-ashes-interred-westminster-abbey

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The memorial stone:

Link to tweet

Mr Hawking's daughter Lucy lays flowers at the spot where his ashes were laid in Westminster Abbey today:

AFP/Getty via Daily Mail

Numerous photos are included in the Daily Mail's article here:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5847493/David-Walliams-Lily-Cole-Nile-Rogers-Stephen-Hawking-service.html

[BumRushDaShow]

1. I visited there almost 50 years ago

but didn't realize who all was interred there (notably people like Newton and Darwin)!

R.I.P.

[Chemisse]

2. Between Darwin and Newton. What an honor.

RIP.

[tavernier]

4. I took hubb's ashes to Eleuthera and the rest scattered in the Keys.

Not to brag, but have you been to London? Dead people all under cement and marble in that cold and dreary town.

I prefer the Florida Keys way.

[Sophiegirl]

7. Eleuthera is beautiful

Remote, but very nice. Atlantic on one side, Caribbean on the other. “Island time” has an entirely different meaning there. Lovely place to share part of him.

[tavernier]

8. He talked about Eleuthera a lot but we never made it there.

So... a year later I saw a cruise heading there for one of its stops. Seriously, not much to see or do because it is so remote, but wow, what a breathtaking island!

I learned the island saying...

“I’m half way between “OH LORD and THANK GOD!”

[Chemisse]

9. That sounds lovely.

I expect my ashes to be scattered in my favorite mountain river in New Hampshire.

[snort]

3. They really should have gotten the name right.

[canetoad]

5. They did

Look at the S and E in Stephen. Same trick of the light obscures the G in Hawking.

[dembotoz]

6. Wonderful honor and all but sort of ignored the family a bit

Family plot? Is this what HE wanted?

[tammywammy]

10. His family was there at the internment. n/t

[Hortensis]

11. Between Darwin and Newton. Wow!

That is a place I would like to visit.

On a much lower note, I thought we dressed more casually for funerals in Florida (light neutrals and open shoes common in that climate). Compared to the rest of the Bible Belt, maybe, but not to London.