Family Say It's OK To Laugh at Teen Daughter's iPhone Headstone

Theresa Matautia tragically died by suicide in 2018, aged just 15. But instead of wallowing in tears, her family decided to mark her grave in a way that would spread smiles instead.

"Gen Z headstones 💀 if you see this at the Manukau Memorial Gardens, it was us 🤪🤣," her brother Geoff posted to TikTok, in a video that has since been watched 22million times:

As he explains in the clip, they had the headstone custom made to resemble Theresa's own iPhone 5 "because she was always on it."

Not only is the craftwork very impressive, it is equally touching, as it features text messages expressing love from family members.

"The reason behind it is my sister was just on the phone, all the time," her brother shared in a story time, proving it with several pics of the beautiful teen indeed glued to her device:

He proudly showed off the heartwarming details on the headstone, including the eternal group chat of seven people: Theresa, her mom, dad, and four siblings.

Geoff even joked about an "error" on the gravestone: the full WiFi bars. "Um, there is no WiFi at the cemetery, so I don't know what that's connecting to," he pondered.

"For everyone having a cry in the comments: just have a laugh," he advised. "We give you permission to laugh at this video."

"Not everyone copes with loss the same, so our family is just doing it a different way," he said. "It's almost been four years, and my family just learned how to deal with it."

While some commenters were a little weirded out on TikTok, the vast majority were moved by the touching tribute from a clearly very loving family.

"bad situation, but love how you're dealing with it!" one wrote. "she would love that. and 50 years from now, her grave will be extremely cool because of the history."

"I love the thought, detail and love that went into this headstone!" another commented.

"Ok but the uniqueness of it & the idea of placing those 'texts' inside are beautiful," a third agreed. "Sounds like she would love it."

A fourth summed up: "it's not funny. but this is so sweet."

And to those who thought the family picnicking at the grave was strange: "It might be a different thing outside of New Zealand, but if you go to any cemetery on a given day, you're bound to find a family having a picnic in the park with a gazebo and tent up," Geoff explained. "It's kind of just normal for us."

If you or someone you know is struggling with depression or has had thoughts of harming themselves or taking their own life, get help. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255) provides 24/7, free, confidential support for people in distress.