Featured Wind Phone in Johnson City, Tennessee
- Amy Dawson
- Sep 3
- 3 min read

There is a unique story behind each Wind Phone that is best told by its creator and/or steward. No one can tell it the way they can, so to that end, the format for Featured Wind Phone stories is to share the creator/steward's responses to the interview questions verbatim in their voice. Sharing our stories helps us to connect and heal and may inspire someone else to create or visit a Wind Phone.
~Amy
Our Featured Wind Phone is in Johnson City, Tennessee. Mary Lietzke, Renzie Reed, and Anthony Harris: at Monte Vista Funeral Home and Memorial Park believe that caring for a family means more than tending to the details of a service—it means tending to their hearts. We are here to walk beside you with compassion, ensuring every arrangement is handled with care, and every loved one is honored with dignity. Your comfort, peace, and healing matter to us as much as the farewell itself.
Where is your Wind Phone located?
1900 East Oakland Avenue
Johnson City, Tennessee 37601
Coordinates are 36*20’56” N 82*21’26” W
Located adjacent to the Mausoleum in front of the cemetery.
What year and month did you place your Wind Phone at this location?
May 10, 2025
Why did you choose this location?
At Monte Vista Funeral Home and Memorial Park, we know the importance of bringing life to a funeral home and cemetery. We want to make visits to loved ones that have passed pleasant and comforting, all the while making tactile and physical experiences that can be interacted with. Landmarks that inspire introspection and provide comfort serve a dual purpose to the property; they promote a pride in the property and a sense of being invested and involved in the community. Monte Vista Funeral Home staff aren’t just death care professionals, we are members of our community; Our memorial park isn’t just “A” cemetery to choose from, we are “THEIR” family’s cemetery. We assist them in times of grief and welcome them back even after helping them navigate the initial loss of a loved one. We are here to honor relationships in all stages of life, loss, grief, and regrowth.
To expand aftercare options to the families we serve, the staff of Monte Vista Funeral Home and Memorial Park began our plans to install a Wind Phone for visitors to our cemetery in early January 2025. Realizing our Wind Phone became a mission for all of us. Each one of us researching Wind Phones at other locations, materials, crafts, and functions that could benefit and build on its presence in our cemetery.
It became apparent that we could help fill a need not being met within a 50-mile radius and create a healthy medium that would promote healthy grieving in a period where we see more direct burials and cremations and an absence of memorial services. Whether those family decisions are being financially motivated or come from an aversion to the grief process, both groups deserve a healthy and beautiful way to memorialize their loved ones.
We talked to our family members and brainstormed, walked the cemetery to locate the best spot to install our booth, and had touching conversations with each other about how we would use the feature for healing in our own lives. Everyone has a grandmother, husband, sister, or friend that they desperately wish they could call; we are not without our own losses.
A wind phone at a cemetery offers grieving families a comforting way to feel connected to their loved ones. We are excited and honored to be able to provide this to our families and community at Monte Vista Funeral Home and Memorial Park.
Is your Wind Phone dedicated to or in memory of someone special?
Do you have any advice for someone thinking of creating a Wind Phone?
Think very seriously about the placement of your Wind Phone. Accessibility is a big component; everyone needs to be able to access it. Is it well-lit or easily monitored to prevent vandalism? Will it hold up to the weather? Are there ways to incorporate the community into the overall aesthetic of the Wind Phone. Ours happens to have a memory walk that we hope visitors will continue to add their painted stones to when they visit. Educate the public about what a Wind Phone is for, it may seem obvious to those constructing a wind phone; the general public may need a little more information and explanation of the benefits one provides.





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