A father was tinkering around in his teenage daughter’s recently-purchased car when he found an envelope hidden in the glove box.
Kevin Duke says he was moved to tears by the handwritten letter it contained from the vehicle’s previous owner, which he shared with Love What Matters.
“I just wanted to let you know what a special vehicle you’ve bought,” the note began.
“The car belonged to my mum. She passed away February 25, 2015 in a house fire along with my 6-year-old daughter and my aunt.”
After losing her three relatives, the author – who later came forward as Sylvia Archey – said she was distraught when an insurance mix up meant her car had to be repossessed.
“It’s very upsetting that I have lost my family and my home and now I’m losing this last link I have with my mum and child through no fault of my own,” she wrote.
“I’m not mad at you. I hope this car is the best car you’ve ever owned. I hope it runs for 100 more years. I hope the back seat is filled with kids and toys and random things. My family filled this car with lots of love and other sticky things.”
LISTEN: The Well discuss the seven stages of grief. Post continues after snippet…
The letter goes on to describe some of Archey’s memories in the car that bought her nothing but “love, joy and adventure”.
“This car, with all its quirks, is the last piece of my family. Be nice to it. Play it a country song, ‘Big Green Tractor’ was my daughter’s favourite sound ever or some Lynyrd Skynyrd’s ‘Freebird’. That song meant so much that I played it at their funerals.