Oak Island’s ‘Wind Phone’ shares messages to lost loved ones

OAK ISLAND, NC (WWAY) — A rotary phone in Oak Island is giving people a space to mourn their loved ones. 

The Wind Phone is one of several across the world where people can pick up a phone, dial the name or number of a loved one they’ve lost, and leave them a message. 

The phone isn’t on, and it doesn’t record your message, but it gives people grieving the chance to share what they’ve been up to—or words that were left unsaid. 

The idea started in Japan 15 years ago by Itaru Sasaki after his cousin who died of cancer. The idea was brought to Oak Island in 2024 by resident Wendy Lemmons Morris, who donated the phone to the town. 

The phone is located at May Moore Park—which Mike Emory with the town said is the perfect location. 

“This is one of our quieter locations, it’s a very reflective spot. It has a beautiful overlook of the marsh areas and the intercoastal waterway. It really seemed to be the perfect fit for what this phone was meant to be, the Wind Phone, in that it gives people a place to stop and have a moment of quiet reflection,” he said. 

You can view an interactive map of wind phones around the world here.