The woman rediscovering voice messages from late mother (exclusive)

• In 2014, Laura Strange’s mother, Yvonne Katherine, called her to wish her a happy birthday. Laura missed the call so her mother left a voice message that sang “Happy Birthday”
• Then Laura, who had moved out of the state, thought the message was sweet and decided to keep it saved on his phone
• On February 12, 2025, at the age of 79, Yvonne Katherine captured the flu, which continued to pneumonia and ultimately led to her death
• Shortly after her mother died, Laura went through every voicemail she had saved from her. She listened to them all, but the one of her mother sang for her on her birthday in 2014 stood out

2014, Laura StrangeMom, Yvonne Katherine, called her to wish her a happy birthday. When Laura missed the conversation, her mother left a voice message that sang “Happy birthday.” At that time, Laura, who had moved out of the state, thought that the message was sweet and decided to keep it saved on her phone.

Living in Newport Beach, California, Laura knew from within that one day this voice mail would be a sacred treasure. “I held on to it all these years because I somehow think I prepared my heart for the moment I would need it most,” says the 32-year-old recruiter and spoke exclusively to people.

Laura and Yvonne Katherine were extremely close. The two were best friends, and Laura would call her several times a day. She recalls that the Mother Dotter couple would always count down the days until they could meet each other again. Every year since Laura moved away from home in 2014, they started an annual tradition of taking a girls’ journey to a tropical destination – Hawaii, Bahamas, the Dominican Republic and thereafter.

“It became our special way of celebrating together. She would always be the one who makes my birthday so special every year,” says Laura.

“I admired her thoughtfulness more than anything, and how she wore such a carefree, happy attitude to life,” she adds. “She never took things too seriously and always found reasons to laugh and love deeply.”

On February 12, 2025, at the age of 79, Yvonne Katherine captured the flu, which continued to pneumonia and ultimately led to her death. Shortly after her mother died, Laura went through every voicemail she had saved from her. She listened to them all, but the one of her mother who sang for her on her birthday in 2014 stood out.

“It captured her spirit, her joy, her love for me in such a pure way,” says Laura. “It was like getting a little bit of the back, even in just a few seconds.”

“I know things deeply and try to emotionally prepare for life’s most difficult moments. But no amount of preparation could really prepare me to lose her,” she adds. “Although this is my new reality, it still feels surreal. That voice message felt like a reminder of her love when I needed it most.”

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After encountering the voicemail, Laura decided to film a video of herself listening to it. In a moment of grief she published it to Tiktok As a way to feel connected to her mother again. “I will listen to this upon repeating on April 3,” she formed Tiktok.

She was not nervous; Instead, she just felt that she needed to get it out of the body in some way. It was not about opinions or attention; It was a real moment of vulnerability. She did not expect it to reason with so many people, but then the video went viral and collected almost 700,000 views and more than 2500 comments.

“I was shocked at first,” she says, remembers her reaction to the video. “I thought maybe a few people would relate. It made me realize how many people silent too. It became something so much bigger than I ever imagined, something meaningful.”

“Reading the comments was emotionally in the best way,” she adds. “Most people were so friendly, so open about their own losses, and it made me feel that I was not alone. All the messages have been meaningful, from sending condolences to sharing their own personal stories. I am grateful to have been able to get in touch with so many people and give them a space to feel seen in their grief.”

“So many people have reached to share their stories,” she continues. “Some have also lost their parents, others take care of aging loved ones, and others just wanted to say that they felt seen. It is open conversations that are often avoided because grief is uncomfortable for people to talk about. But when we do it creates it connection. And it is powerful.”

For Laura, sharing more about her relationship with her late mother online has helped her become more intentional when it comes to honoring her memory in everyday life. It is also reminded of how many lives her mother touched only by being herself and how deep her spirit lives on in her.

“Sharing this publicly also helped me to mourn in a way that I did not know I needed, to feel, validated and held by others who understand loss,” she says.

“I want to continue to do the things she loved – to spend time by the sea, travel to places we used to go, play her favorite music and dance that no one is watching,” adds Laura. “I have a magazine devoted to her and I write letters to her in heaven. She was also a phenomenal chef, so I plan to take all her recipes and make a cookbook out of them.”