What if you could pick up the phone and talk to a loved one who is no longer alive? What would you say?

Freeland resident Suzie Reynolds is hoping to provide a place for Whidbey residents to grieve the loss of their friends and family members with the installation of a wind phone.

The concept, which originated in Tohoku, Japan in 2011 following a deadly earthquake and tsunami, is simple – an unconnected phone booth allows people to carry out a cathartic conversation with the dead. Though they may not be inclined to respond, having a space to talk can help others come to terms with the loss of their loved ones.

In 2021, Reynolds endured the loss of her one-week-old son, Daniel Atlas Reynolds. Her baby boy suffered complications from the delivery and was unable to breathe on his own. Not a day goes by that she doesn’t wish she could pick up the phone and speak to him.

“Every year we really try to honor him, especially on his birthday. Recently I came across an article about the wind phone,” she said, referencing a story published this past October by Connecticut Public Radio. “I was inspired by that, because I wasn’t sure what we were going to do this year in honor of him.”

Reynolds approached the South Whidbey Parks and Recreation District about finding a place for the grief phone at Trustland Trails. It will be located somewhere easily accessible near the parking lot, tucked away in a wooden, three-sided structure that will provide some privacy for callers. Reynolds plans to present a proposal for the project at the park and rec district’s board of commissioners meeting in January.

“For the community to have a space to go and grieve was really important to me,” she said.

She acknowledged that although she’s fortunate to have her son buried nearby on South Whidbey, others may not live near the final resting places of their loved ones, and the wind phone will provide an additional way for them to connect.

She is currently fundraising for the wind phone via GoFundMe, with a goal of $5,000. Visit gofundme.com/f/windphoneonsouthwhidbey to donate. If the money raised exceeds the necessary costs of the project, the leftover funds will be given to Seattle Children’s Hospital.

Reynolds hopes to unveil the phone on Feb. 16, 2024, Danny’s third birthday. She has already purchased a vintage rotary phone covered in forget-me-nots.

“It took a whole month to get here,” she said. “It came all the way from India.”

Her brother-in-law has designed preliminary renderings for the booth, which will have a plaque on the outside explaining what it is and how to use it.

The wind phone will be the first of its kind on Whidbey Island and in the whole of Island County, according to mywindphone.com, a website that tracks the locations of the phones all over the world. The next closest wind phones in the state are in Bellingham and Burien.