SOUTHGATE, Mich. – It’s the time of the year where we find ways to create memorable moments.
In between shopping for the best gifts and perfecting family recipes, sometimes our hearts’ desires are not always available on any shelf.
For many families, someone they love is missing from the dining room table.
For countless people navigating a season where holiday cheer is met with holiday sorrow, a Southgate woman’s digital creation offers a touching way to keep those precious memories close at hand.
A Sister’s Love Sparks Digital Innovation
When Tracey Ilene’s sister Stacy passed away in October 2017, she left behind more than just an empty space in their family circle.
She left a daughter who, heartbreakingly, began to forget the trademark of any person.
“In 2018, my niece came to me and said, ‘Auntie, do you remember my mom’s voice?’” Ilene recalled.
The moment of realization planted a seed.
That simple question led her to create Heavenly Connects, a mobile app that preserves the digital echoes of those we’ve lost: their voice messages, texts, videos, and photos.
Illene calls the platform a sacred app.
More Than Just Digital Storage
While phones and computers can hold countless photos, Heavenly Connects offers something more intimate, according to Illene.
The Southgate woman said it creates a dedicated sanctuary where memories can live and breathe.
Subscribers can upload voicemails, text messages, photos and videos.
Users have the option to either have their profiles and activities private or public.
The platform also features a directory of resources as well as a community of other users who are grieving.
The app’s message has resonated deeply, drawing 10,000 subscribers worldwide who understand its purpose, according to Illene.
“It’s making an impact on the world because it’s for anyone – all of us have lost someone,” she said.
A Developer’s Heart for Memory
Ed Davis IV didn’t just develop the app. He’s also a user.
His own profile holds carefully preserved memories of his grandfather, whose presence he lost to tuberculosis more than a decade ago.
When Davis speaks of his grandfather, joy mingles with remembrance.
“I remember his laugh,” Davis shares, his eyes lighting up with the memory. “My grandfather had a deep voice like me. His laugh would shake a room.”
It’s exactly this kind of vivid, precious memory that Heavenly Connects helps families hold onto.
For Davis, the app has become a bridge between past and present.
“Making my family a part of every endeavor that I do, it gives me a strong sense of courage,” he reflects. “Because I’m not just doing it for me – I’m doing it for my family.”
Embracing Memories During the Holidays
Understanding that different families have different needs, Heavenly Connects offers several ways to join its community:
- A free option that opens the door to basic features
- A middle tier that welcomes up to 25 profiles
- A premium tier for families wanting unlimited space for memories
When asked why not use a photo album to quietly reflect on someone who’s passed away, Illene said it’s not the same.
“Because it’s in a digital space and you can have it with you at all times and then the diversity of it with the photo album you just have photos,” she said. “Now, you have voicemail messages; you have text messages; you [have] videos as well and then you have the community feel and you have the resources – photo album just gives you your photos.”