Safety Harbor Mom honors late son with wind phone

Helping others through grief with a call in nature

FOX 13's Ariel Plasencia shares how one mother who lost her son nearly a decade ago is helping others through the grieving process one call at a time.

SAFETY HARBOR, Fla. - A Safety Harbor mom has spearheaded the installation of a wind phone at Folly Farm Nature Preserve to honor her son, who died in 2015.

September marks the 10-year anniversary of East Lake High School and University of Florida grad Devon Grimmé’s passing.

"I've gotten pictures from people, and they're just so grateful for it, and they just love it. And they come and talk to their loved ones," Laura McCullough said. "And I just want to normalize to continue the conversation."

The backstory:

Born in Hawaii, Devon Grimmé is the oldest of McCullough’s three children.

"This is typical Devon: He collected people. A lot of people collect things, he collects people," McCullough told FOX 13. "He couldn't go to the grocery store without coming home with somebody's phone number."

After later moving to Tarpon Springs, Grimmé was valedictorian of East Lake High School before heading to the University of Florida.

"He lived in Gainesville," McCullough said. "And he said that one of his favorite smells -- even though he traveled the world -- he loved the smell of the oranges when he came home."

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In 2015, Grimmé returned to Hawaii for a wedding. He was in a pool, playing a game of who could hold their breath the longest. Since he was a scuba diver, there wasn’t any initial surprise when he was the last one still underwater.

"They said he didn't kick, he didn't splash, he didn’t struggle, he just stopped moving," McCullough said. "And somebody said, what are you doing? You're taking too long. Come on, come on, come on."

Someone jumped in the pool to grab Grimmé, and CPR was performed. But Grimmé later died.

"We found out a couple weeks later on (in the) autopsy that he had horrible heart disease. We never knew it," McCullough said. "The coroner said that by holding his breath for a long time, she’s sure he induced an arrhythmia and just gasped underwater. So he drowned, secondary to heart disease."

Grimmé was 27.

Dig deeper:

After her son’s death, McCullough was on an airplane when she read an article about wind phones. Started in Japan, these booths with disconnected phones offer people a space to grieve and a chance to speak to loved ones who have passed.

"The phone’s not connected to anything, but the wind will take your words where they need to go," McCullough said.

The Safety Harbor mom wanted to bring one to the Tampa Bay area. So she worked with Folly Farm Nature Preserve, the Safety Harbor Garden Club, master gardener Gary Sawtelle, and wood artist Chris Dotson to get one set up.

Anyone is welcome to pick up the phone at the nature preserve and speak from the heart.          

September marks 10 years since Grimmé’s passing. But thanks to the wind phone, McCullough knows where she can find her firstborn.   

"It's not over just because they're gone," McCullough said. "The relationship isn't over. The conversation isn't over."

What you can do:

The wind phone McCullough set up in honor of Grimmé is located a short walk from the entrance of the Folly Farm Nature Preserve at 1562 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. North, Safety Harbor, FL 34695.

There are a few other wind phones in the Tampa Bay area, including one in Palm Harbor. Click here for the full map.