Jamie Nowacki, 44, wanted her mum, Kris Tierney, to have a special gift for her 46th wedding anniversary.
That number might sound a bit odd – 46 isn’t a round number or a common milestone.
But for Kris, from Toledo, Ohio, this particular anniversary held a significance: it would be the first anniversary she spent alone, after the death of her husband.
Jamie’s father Tim always used to give his wife flowers, so the first part of the gift saw Jamie bringing a bouquet to her mum’s house.
The next part of the gift was even more meaningful: a teddy bear with a sound box inside, so that when hugged it would play an audio recording of Tim saying ‘love you’.
The audio recording was from a voicemail which they cut down to use as a shorter soundbite.
Jamie’s mum couldn’t believe it when she heard her late husband’s voice once again, and she will cherish this bear for a long time.
Jamie said: ‘It was my parents’ wedding anniversary and the first without my dad, so I knew I needed to find something very special to give her.
‘My dad always gave my mom flowers so I knew we had to take some over to her.
‘He passed away unexpectedly from a fall.
“What made the bear even more special was that my mum always called him her Timmy Bear and he signed every letter and card he gave her with “Timmy Bear”, that’s why I knew it had to be a bear.
‘It started way back before they even got married.
‘She didn’t realise what the bear did until we told her to push its paw. Once she heard his voice she lost it.
‘I knew it was just what she needed to hear, his voice saying “love you”. It made her day, even though it was such a hard day.
‘It was a difficult day for her and she said that she felt happy, sad and thankful all at once.’
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