I have solved the mystery of the voice mails from my dad. I finally got my brother down to my house with his phone.
All he had was the beta texts......I sent them to MY phone number....and VOILA! there was the voice.
It was from his drunk friend ED - the voice recognition program translated ED as DAD.
Ed doesn't have his own phone - so he just borrows phones when he wants to make a call.
So....there you are - not as dramatic as a call from beyond....but perhaps a jumping off point for a play or sketch....
WHAT IF ... Alexander Graham Bell had invented VOICE MAIL first?