The phone was placed in the coffin of 59-Year-old Lesley Emerson because she loved texting her family members.

Cancer took Lesley in 2011 but her granddaughter Sheri sent messages to the phone from time to time “as a way of coping.”

The Shields Gazette reports Sheri was stopped in her tracks last week when she received a response.

“I’m watching over you, you’ll get through this, you’ll be all right,” the message said.

Sheri admitted to being rattled by the situation.

“Obviously we know that nan wasn’t ever going to reply to our texts," she said. “You can imagine what I was thinking seeing a message flash up from her.”

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Sheri’s uncle called the number and, sure enough, someone answered.

The man on the other end said he thought the messages he had been getting were jokes, so he decided to send something back.

The family isn’t mad at the guy, but they are peeved at their cell provider.

They said they paid the company, O2, to retire Lesley’s number but instead it was given to another customer.

The Daily Mail reports O2 is trying to get the number back so the family won't have to go through this again.

More here.

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