OILDALE, Calif. -- An Oildale man has been fighting for months to get his wife's ashes from out of state.

Tom Goodin contacted ABC 23 after all his efforts to get the ashes back had failed.

It has been a heart-wrenching ordeal for Goodin ever since his wife died last April.

But what makes matters worse Goodin said is the funeral home released her ashes to the wrong person.

Goodin's wife of 10 years, Dorothy, was visiting family in Hawaii when she died of an illness. Now all he wants is her ashes sent back to him, but instead, he says, all is has gotten was the runaround.

"I have contacted her sister, her daughter and I have contacted the funeral home and all I get is led on," said Goodin.

Goodin showed ABC 23 a notarized letter sent to the funeral home right after Dorothy died explaining that Dorothy's daughter can handle the necessary arrangements but the ashes are to be sent to him.

Goodin also provided cashiers checks to cover the cost of the cremation and paperwork.

But the funeral home in Hawaii released the ashes to the daughter instead.

Now Goodin said Dorothy’s daughter is unwilling to give the ashes to him.

Goodin was beside himself in grief and didn't know what to do, so he asked Ray Mish of Mission Family Mortuary if what the funeral home in Hawaii did was legal.

"They gave the ashes to the wrong person and now it is up to them to get the ashes back from the daughter and get them to Tom," said Mish.

Mish added that the ashes of a deceased spouse are legally supposed to go to the living spouse and if there is no spouse then the children may get the remains.

ABC 23 tried to contact the funeral home by phone to no avail.

Goodin is retired from the Navy. He met his wife in Hawaii when he worked as a guard at a World War II memorial in 1992; Dorothy worked in the gift shop.

Goodin said they fell in love and got married in 2001 and moved to Bakersfield.

Dorothy went to Hawaii to visit and spend some time with family. They talked on the phone every night, he said.

"I knew she had been sick, but I had no idea she was going to die, otherwise I would have been by her side," said Goodin.

Goodin said he hopes he will get his wife's ashes back soon. He has made arrangements for them to be buried together once he passes away.