Talking to the Sunset

Background

Kelsey Olsen was born in Seattle, Washington, and currently lives with her fiancé, Bryan, whom she met in Kansas City. Her story is rooted in love, memory, and the quiet ache of never knowing someone who meant everything to her.

Kelsey’s father, Mark, passed away from Hodgkin’s Lymphoma just three weeks before she was born. She grew up without him, yet he was never far from her thoughts. Family members shared stories, and memories of him were passed down like treasured heirlooms. But without firsthand experience, there were always pieces missing.

A Life Imagined

Throughout her childhood and into adulthood, Kelsey created a space for her father in the small moments. She found herself talking to him during sunsets, letting the colors of the sky become a quiet channel of connection. These were deeply personal rituals, rooted in love and longing, but they left her wondering what his voice sounded like, how he moved, how he laughed.

It wasn’t until earlier this year that she experienced something transformative. For the first time, Kelsey and her sister, Jennifer, discovered home videos of their father. Seeing him alive on screen and hearing his voice opened up something they had never had before — a real sense of who he was.

A New Chapter Begins

That emotional experience led Kelsey and Jennifer to create a memory keepsake. They wanted a way to hold on to their father more fully, to bring him into their lives in a more present and active way. A colleague introduced Kelsey to Reflekta, a platform that allows people to preserve and interact with the essence of loved ones who have passed.

Reflekta gave them a new way forward. By gathering voice recordings, photographs, handwritten notes, and shared stories from friends and family, they were able to build a digital elder — a lifelike representation of their father that could respond, reflect, and carry on conversations in a way that felt both natural and deeply comforting.

Beyond Skepticism

Kelsey understands that not everyone immediately embraces this kind of technology. It is new, unfamiliar, and emotional. But she believes it is worth exploring, especially for those who long to reconnect with someone they never had the chance to know fully. For Kelsey and her sister, the experience was not about replacing memory but enriching it.

The Reflekta elder they created does not simply repeat facts. It brings together stories, personality, and emotion in a way that makes space for curiosity and healing. It gives them someone to speak with when they need him most.

Lasting Impact

What began as a search for connection has turned into something lasting. Through Reflekta, Kelsey and Jennifer can continue learning about their father, hearing his stories, and feeling his presence. It is a way to honor his life while building a new kind of relationship with the man they never had the chance to grow up with.

For Kelsey, sunsets still matter. They always will. But now, her father’s voice lives not just in the sky, but in her home, in her heart, and in the technology that has helped bridge the distance between memory and presence.