Death is no laughing matter. But Phedre Fitton refused to let it steal her impeccable sense of humor. Just before she passed, Phedre made a simple request. And years later, her loving husband discovered he'd been pranked by his late wife!
Phedre Fitton bravely battled cancer for five years. But it finally came time to find her healing in Heaven.
Before leaving this world, she asked her beloved husband, Nigel, to be sure to water the plants in the couple's bathroom.
So, day after day, Nigel did just that.
After a few years, Nigel was ready to move into a retirement home. Needless to say, the plants would be coming with him. And that's when Nigel realized he'd been duped.
Before my mum passed away, she gave my dad strict instructions to water the plants in the bathroom. He's been religiously watering them & keeping them alive. They look so amazing he decided to take them to his new home, only to discover they are plastic! Can hear my mum chuckling pic.twitter.com/N87giD5zKT
— Antonia Nicol (@Flaminhaystack) January 16, 2018
Come to find out, the plants he'd been watering all these years were fake!
“It was only when we flew over to help him move we all realized the plants were plastic,” the couple's daughter, Antonia, said. “He said, ‘I wondered why they still looked so good.’”
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And the discovery was such a special moment for Nigel and Antonia.
“We really laughed about it and it was lovely to think that my mum was still there with us,” Antonia explained.
Nigel and Phedre met when they were just sixteen. Losing her left Nigel overcome with grief. Antonia explained on Twitter how the task gave him "something to do," though he did think the toilet had a leak, "due to the puddles on the floor."
Antonia -- a firefighter in London -- described her mother as an "absolute legend" with a "cheeky sense of humor."
So, his late wife's prank served as a precious reminder of what a special lady he'd married. In fact, the joke tickled him so much, he agreed to pose for a photo "watering the ferns" so Antonia could share it on Twitter.
@dannywallace my dad has loved this story being on here so much, he's reenacted watering the ferns 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/1NJpoYbpY8
— Antonia Nicol (@Flaminhaystack) January 17, 2018
Antonia never expected it, but the post about her mom's last laugh ended up going viral. Not only did folks get a good chuckle, but many opened up about the family members they'd lost.
“It’s also inspired people to open about the loss of their own loved ones,” Antonia said. “In times of awful news, it’s been really lovely to talk about something really sweet.”
There's something deeply human about it too. I looked after my mum up to her passing and our humour was often jet black. Too easy to forget it. Thanks for sharing!
— andy. (@Lawnordermobile) January 16, 2018
Never gets any easier tho, does it. Lost mine in August. Big hole. But lots of laughs x
— Suzanne (@librasuzanne) January 16, 2018
Sorry to hear of your loss. I lost my lovely mum last year, she was 85. But she would've loved that joke; my mum like yours had a wicked sense of humour.
— Lawrie80sBoy🎺🐕🇪🇺🕊 (@The80sBoy) January 17, 2018
Lost my mom almost a year ago. It doesnt get easier but stories like this make it a little better
— Jung Ki-SUCC 🍆 (@caughtnyact) January 18, 2018
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Be sure to share this story with someone who could use a smile!
h/t: Huffington Post
Featured Image Credit: Facebook/Phedre Fitton
Mel is the senior writer for GodUpdates, finding, writing and sharing Christian, uplifting, and health-related stories from around the world. Mel has a passion for writing and graduated with a degree in English from Randolph-Macon College in Virginia. When she’s not researching and writing stories, Mel is very active in her church. You can usually find Mel playing board games with her husband and two young girls, giving someone a hug, or hunting down a good cup of coffee!