How many times have you promised a friend that you would text when you got home? But somewhere in between the promise and your arrival, you get distracted and never get around to sending that message. That’s what one daughter thought had happened when her mother didn’t communicate that she had made it home safely.
She sent her mom a text in jest: “Did u make it home alive? Lol.” Later, she learned that her mom had died behind the wheel of her parked car.
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Maureen and Debbie had been together all day.
On January 31, 2021, Maureen and her mother Debbie spent the entire day together. The two went grocery shopping, cooked beef stew, and sat on the sofa watching TV together. Later that evening, it began snowing. And although she only lived three blocks away, Debbie decided it was time to go home.
She got in her car and Maureen assumed her mother drove off. But later that night, when Maureen’s fiancé was walking their dog, he saw Debbie’s car still parked in their driveway. And she was still inside.
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Maureen shared her tragic story on TikTok.
In 2025 — nearly four years since her mother’s passing — Maureen has shared her story on TikTok. One video is a still image of Maureen giving the peace sign and smiling ever so slightly as she looks off to the side.
Maureen writes, “The last text I sent my mom after hanging out was, ‘did u make it home alive? Lol’ and she in fact did not, she died in her car parked outside of my house while I sat on the sofa watching SNL.”
@maureenelizabethhh Replying to @JustAnotherJessica #greenscreen and i still have the receipts 4 years later #grief #motherloss #griefjourney #darkhumor ♬ THAT IM SO DOWWWWNNN – nottotallysure
Maureen isn’t shying away from the humor.
Later, Maureen shows the exact text before she covers her face, laughing at the tragically ironic text. That day in January 2021, Maureen’s mother died from a cardiac arrest. She was 52 years old, People reports. “When I sent that text, never in my wildest imagination would I have thought it would result in her dying,” she told People.
“Honestly, it wasn’t the first time I had texted her something along those lines, and it wasn’t the first time she had texted me like that, either. We morbidly joked pretty often.”
Other people shared their last texts to loved ones too.
Since Maureen shared the story and the texts on TikTok, many people have opened up about their last correspondence with their loved ones. “The online reaction was far beyond what I expected,” Maureen said. “Hundreds of people shared similar stories of innocent texts ending in … well, death. And I’m glad they can see it’s okay to laugh at life’s twists and turns.”
@maureenelizabethhh Grief is weird, do your best! However that looks. #grief #griefjourney #motherloss #deathandloss ♬ original sound – Maureen Elizabeth
‘No two people will grieve the same way,’ Maureen says.
Seeing so many others share their stories has helped Maureen, an only child, grieve the loss of her mother, whom she spent every day with. “It brings solidarity,” she told People. “Feeling validated in my choice to embrace the laughter and quirks of this story really helps the grieving process.”
Maureen shared that no two people will grieve the same way. “… my biggest point here is that unfortunately, you have to grieve. This is a pain the demands to be felt. There is no over it. There’s no around it or under it. It’s through it. That’s all.”
Maureen said she knows her mom would not want her wallowing. Still, she says that she has days where she can’t even look in the mirror because she looks so much like her mother. She said there are other days when she can’t stop talking about her mom. All of it speaks to the bonds we share with our loved ones.
“They love you and that type of love is so strong and so real that it transcends everything: life, death, whatever,” Maureen explained. “So with that said, we can conclude that the love just doesn’t disappear … Just because I laugh every once in a while doesn’t mean I’m grieving wrong.”
