Man Lost His Mom as a Teenager. Decades Later, His Daughters Found a Way to Bring Her Voice Back

A couple of months before Christmas, Alli Maxfield received a call from her sister with an idea that immediately felt special — a gift rooted in memory, love, and loss.

Maxfield says her sister, Kait Bywater, is known for her thoughtfulness, so when she suggested they go in together on a present for their dad, the answer was an easy yes. Their idea was deeply personal: a custom vinyl record designed to reconnect their father with his late mother, Judy. One side would feature a rare recording of Judy’s voice; the other would hold her favorite songs.

Judy, a mother of eight, died unexpectedly at the age of 52 while Maxfield’s father was away in Venezuela, serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“The whole family was heartbroken,” Maxfield says. “She was an incredible mother to eight children and worked as a special education teacher’s aide. She was the kindest and most selfless — truly an angel of a woman.”

Living in Utah, the sisters collaborated closely on every detail of the project. Bywater designed the front cover of the record, Maxfield created the back, and together they selected the music, edited the audio, and worked with World of Sound to bring the idea to life.

“I never met my grandma Judy, but my dad always talks about how incredible she was,” says Maxfield, 25. “From everything he shared, she had the most beautiful voice and was always singing around the house.”

One side of the vinyl features the only known recording of Judy singing, captured during a church service. The original audio was a simple voice memo filled with background noise and interruptions, so Maxfield carefully cleaned and edited it to preserve Judy’s voice as clearly as possible.

To make the recording even more meaningful, the sisters asked each of their siblings and their mother to record themselves saying, “I love you.” Those messages were woven into the track alongside Judy’s voice.

The other side of the record features some of Judy’s favorite songs — music Maxfield says her father grew up hearing at home.

“Growing up, my dad would always play some of my grandma’s favorite songs for us,” she explains. “There were a few she would always sing, including the main song from The Sound of Music, along with several church hymns he remembers her singing.”

The emotional impact of the gift was immediate.

“My dad has always worked so hard to make Christmas special for us,” Maxfield says. “So it was incredibly touching to see him get emotional over something so sentimental. As soon as the record with his mom’s voice started playing, I could tell he was transported back to a time when she was alive. It felt like she was there with us for a few minutes.”

Maxfield, who regularly shares moments from her life on TikTok and Instagram, didn’t hesitate to post the reaction online. The video quickly went viral, drawing more than 290,000 views and hundreds of comments.

“So many people said the video made them cry,” she says. “It was clear it was connecting deeply with people who had lost a parent or grandparent.”

Some responses stayed with her more than others.

“One comment said, ‘My mom died before my children ever got to meet her, and seeing how you’ve integrated your dad’s mom into your lives gives me hope that my mom’s memory will live through my children one day,’” Maxfield recalls.

“Another said, ‘In those moments, he’s no longer a grown man with kids — he’s a little boy cherishing his mama’s tender voice.’ That one really got to me.”

@allimaxfield

I so wish I could have had the chance to meet my grandma because my dad talks about her like she was an angel on this earth and I can’t wait to meet her someday. #christmasgiftidea #sentimentalgifts #customgifts #presentideas #wholesomecontent

♬ original sound – Jwlpiano_🎹 – 🎹Jwlpiano_🕊️

The moment was just as meaningful for the rest of the family.

“My mom was deeply touched that we did something so thoughtful for my dad,” Maxfield says. “Everyone gathered into his office to listen to the record on the new record player we had set up with a bow on it. It felt like heaven was very close — hearing my grandma’s voice again.”

Ultimately, Maxfield hopes their story encourages others to rethink what makes a gift truly meaningful.

“I hope it inspires people to give things that really matter, not just stuff that will eventually be thrown away,” she says. “Relationships are what matter most in life. Things fade, but memories last forever — and giving someone a memory is one of the most special gifts you can offer.”