William Newell, 90, who was a native of Wilmington in the US state of Delaware, died on January 7 this year less than three months after his Dublin-born-wife, Nancy, passed away. She was 82.

William, who was a radio operator during the flying-boat-era, met Nancy in Foynes in the early 1940s and they were married in London's Westminster Cathedral on December 29, 1945.

Later they lived in London, Amsterdam, Munich and Frankfort until American Airlines merged with Pan American Airlines in 1950. In 1961 William joined the US Federal Aviation Administration, where he worked until his retirement two decades ago.

During William's career with the FAA, the couple lived in New York, Nigeria, Monrovia, Liberia, Dakar and Senegal, before finally settling in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Relatives of the couple have already travelled to the Flying Boat Museum in Foynes, where the replica of the Yankee Clipper flying boat was unveiled last summer.

The multi-million-euro recreation was officially opened by Hollywood legend Maureen O'Hara, who is a regular visitor to Foynes.

The director of the Museum, Margaret O' Shaughnessy, said of the prayer service and the scattering of the ashes in the Shannon at Foynes: "It is certainly one of the most unusual requests so far but again it's nice to be able to help a family. If that was their wish we would like to make sure it's fulfilled and it just goes to show again all the people around the world that know about Foynes."

The prayer service will be celebrated by local parish priest, Canon Anthony O'Keefe, on May 26.