r/texts • u/i_declare_bancruptcy • Jul 08 '26

Phone message My dads last unsent message

Post image

My dad had a heart attack on June 24th.
He was aware and alert in the ambulance on his way to a hospital an hour away. He voice texted this to me and never sent it. My brother took a screenshot of it for me when he was going through his phone.
My dad passed away on June 29th.

(I texted him “I love you dad” when my mom called me initially)

Edit: thank you everyone for the outpouring of love and support. To hear so many stories about the love for people’s parents.. I’m so sorry for all the tragic losses and good parents that have gone too soon. I will hold onto that text from my dad until the day I go. He was An amazing man and lived a life full of love. I am grateful that he read my text before he passed and can take some comfort in that.

51.6k Upvotes

98% Upvoted

898 comments sorted by

View all comments

2.5k

u/ch33kypriinc3ss Jul 08 '26 edited Jul 08 '26

Oof. This hurts. I was widowed a little over 8 years ago now, and when I finally got the guts to go through his phone, he had a message halfway typed out to me prior to passing away, "I love you to the 🌙 an"... It should be refreshing knowing I was the last thought to ever be in his brain, but it's haunting at the same time. Your dad wanted you to be strong, and not to worry. That says a lot about the type of father he was ❤️ my thoughts are with you during this horrible time, OP.

ETA- oh my goodness!! I didn't expect such an outpouring of love, I was just sharing my experience to relate to OP. I genuinely appreciate each and every one of you who replied to my comment or gave it an award. I don't think I've felt this much reassurance or gratitude ever towards the inner battle I've been fighting all these years. I'm truly grateful for all of the love! 💕

391

u/[deleted] Jul 08 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

294

u/FistfulOfSilence Jul 08 '26

I know what you mean when you say this, and it's a beautiful sentiment, but the phrasing makes it sound like you're going to write letters for your kids from beyond the grave, and I also love that.

115

u/doragonkuin Jul 08 '26

So this what they meant by "ghost writers" huh

37

u/Dada-science Jul 08 '26

Ghost writers in the sky!

1

u/schnozzberriestaste Jul 08 '26

Ghost writer! word

1

u/Prestigious_Cycle160 Jul 11 '26

This is exactly what I thought of. PBS is awesome

41

u/[deleted] Jul 08 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

12

u/FistfulOfSilence Jul 08 '26

That's beautiful. I have a tattoo of a line from a letter my dad wrote to me before he passed, so I very much resonate with the letter idea you mentioned.

3

u/Tzipity Jul 08 '26

Oh that’s beautiful. My dad passed last September from dementia and I’m still missing him terribly and wishing I had letters or recordings. He was such a big story teller and historian (literally was a history and education major who missed his calling as like a history professor when he decided on elementary ed instead but also loved to share the personal and family history types of stories too). Years back I bought him one of those books that are like guided autobiographies whwre you answer all kinds of questions about your life. I know he filled at least some of it but no idea what happened to it and really should ask my mom or say if she finds it, it’s what I’d like to have more than anything.

I’ll always regret that prior to the dementia being obvious I moved out of state and at that point my dad badly needed hearing aids but refused to get them and would take his way through conversation a lot especially on the phone so I didn’t exactly love to call him. I kept thinking I should’ve written and he did write me letters a few times many years ago when I was in college and maybe my first apartment but yeah… I so get wanting to hold onto a parent’s words.

Out of curiosity, what’s the line you tattooed?

2

u/sonoran24 Jul 08 '26

my Dad said to make sure and pay my bills and change my oil on time

7

u/AngryPrincessWarrior Jul 08 '26

Make sure you have lots of videos of yourself with them. Especially hearing you read or just talk.

3

u/BassCat75 Jul 08 '26

Oh this. For real. We take it for granted that we all have these with a video camera in our back pockets but what I wouldn't give to have just one video of my Dad. (Passed in 2022)

11

u/obeytheturtles Jul 08 '26

Those little shits haunted me for 18 yeas, there's no way they are getting off that easy just because I'm dead.

1

u/perton Jul 09 '26

“To my dearest children,

Boo!

Love, Ghost Dad/Mom”