BRADENTON, Fla. (WFLA) — A message in a bottle was found on a beach in Bradenton, Florida, on Friday.

Brent Coleman of Georgia was on vacation when his son, 13-year-old Garrison, and his friend, 13-year-old Lane McCall, stumbled upon the bottle while walking along Bradenton Beach’s shoreline. Coleman told NewsNation affiliate WFLA that the boys found the bottle on Anna Maria Island.

One of the items in the bottle was a handwritten note by a man named Howard Brown. The note told of how he dreamed of living a life in Florida with his wife of 57 years.

 Brown went on to say how “cancer had other plans,” and by the time the note would have been found, he would have passed. “I am now gone,” it read.

The contents of the bottle were posted on a local Facebook page in hopes of reuniting the bottle with the owner’s family members.

Coleman was able to get in contact with Brown’s immediate family members and shipped the contents to them the same day.

“I wanted to make sure Mr. Brown’s wishes were honored,” Coleman told WFLA.

When Coleman found the bottle, it was unsealed and had a small crack due to the moisture. The bottom half of the note faded due to sun exposure, and the remaining line of the note is unintelligible.

Brown’s daughter said the bottle was buried on Anna Maria Island in 2021. She requested the bottle be resealed, left on the island, taken to another beach or placed in the water.

The Brown family is originally from Louisville. His daughter said Brown wanted to live in Florida after his cancer surgery.

Coleman told WFLA Brown’s family was “extremely grateful” for the discovery.