MIDDLEBURY, Vt. (WCAX) – If you’ve ever wished you could pick up the phone and speak with a loved one who’s passed away, this story is for you.
After losing their son and brother in a climbing accident, a Cornwall family searched for ways to keep him close.
A recent creation is helping them and their community feel more connected.
Tracy Wilhelm places a call on a rotary phone in the middle of a Middlebury forest. It’s not wired to a network, but there’s someone on the other end.
A wind phone is a disconnected device where people can make a symbolic call to loved ones who have passed away.
For the Wilhelm family, that’s Luke.
“Luke was a mountain guide who passed away about three years ago, and he was just the goofiest, most kind-hearted guy. He loved being in the outdoors, which is why I think this is a great place for this phone to be,” said Luke’s brother, Greg Wilhelm.
The Wilhelms got the idea after discovering a wind phone while visiting Olympia, Washington.
In a time of unbelievable grief, it made Luke feel closer.
“So powerful and heartwarming, and we just wanted to share that feeling with as many people as possible,” said Bruce Wilhelm, Luke’s dad.
This summer, they installed their own wind phone along the trail around Middlebury.
Luke’s youngest brother recalls his first call.
“I didn’t really know what to say or do, but after, you know, a minute or so, I kind of fell into the rhythm, and it felt like I was talking to him,” said Greg.
The Wilhelms visit constantly, as do other locals.
They leave notes of thanks and reflection in a notebook that’s filling up fast.
“We already have about six pages of people leaving their thoughts. And I think it’s really cool,” said Greg.
The phone is a small part of Luke’s legacy, which spreads from the peaks of the Andes to the north cascades and beyond.
For his family, it’s everything.
“I mostly share about his brothers. He would be so proud of them. It’s just filling him in on the day-to-day,” said Tracy Wilhelm.
“I talk to him about how the guardians are doing and how the Cavs are doing, and just fill him in on, here’s who came to visit this weekend. And again, just trying to keep him present,” said Bruce.
On the walk back from the phone, Luke seems to surround them. He always did, even when he was closer than a call away.
“Luke probably would have been running a mile ahead of us, coming back to get us, running on again,” said Tracy.
The Wilhelm’s is one of eight wind phones in Vermont, according to the tracking site My Wind Phone.
There are just under 500 across the world.
