Wayne County family's Haunt for Hospice honors woman who died after battling cancer

KILLBUCK TWP. − A giant inflatable black cat shakes its head next to a fake body split in half.

Nearby stands a row of famous film horrors ranging from the likes of "Scream" and Mike Myers of "Halloween," to the ghostly family in "Beetlejuice."

These are just a few of the terrors that will greet guests who attend the Hunter family's first Haunt for Hospice fundraising event at their new home on Mellon Circle, just outside of the Wooster city limits.

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This is the same Hunter family who once created haunted walk-throughs and Christmas displays near Cornerstone Elementary School in Wooster.

Now, they're raising money for hospice — which provides end-of-life care and comfort — in memory of Shantel Hunter's mother, who died in hospice while battling pancreatic cancer, said Hunter, who is hosting the event alongside her husband and son.

"People always told us to charge money for these displays," Hunter said. "But then (son) Lukas suggested we raise money for hospice."

Located at 2960 Mellon Cir., off of Mel Lane, the fundraiser is Saturday, Oct. 29. Haunted walks start at 7:30 p.m. and end at 11:30. Cash donations of all amounts are welcome. Food, water and candy will be provided.

A family Halloween tradition

In the center of their yard near the street, a small sign pokes out of the leaf-covered ground that reads, "Lukasville Cemetery," a nod to 15-year-old Lukas Hunter who made the display and event possible.

For Hunter, a high school student at Connections Academy, Halloween is a favorite holiday.

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From the animatronic 13-foot skeleton dressed in rags to the life-size Beetlejuice character that yells quotes from the movie of the same name, the family has too many decorations to count.

"It took two months to put up all of these decorations," Hunter said two days before the fundraiser.

Numerous skeletons, witches, scarecrows and demons line the hallways and rooms in their home, and more still needed to be unboxed, plugged in, tested and displayed.

Guests can expect themed rooms, including a morgue, circus and graveyard, which, Hunter said, he and his parents will haunt in full costume.

While this is their first Halloween event in their new home, the Hunters are veterans of the trade.

"We started this in 2016, but it didn't really kick off until 2018," Shantel Hunter said. "When we moved last year, people kept asking us if we would keep doing this."

If all goes well, she said, they will continue hosting haunted walks in the coming years.

"We have five acres here, so we'd like to expand into the woods and use up more space," she said.

Her husband Travis Hunter said some bridges over a ditch need to be repaired and the woods needs to be cleared a bit before anyone sets foot back there.

'They took good care of grandma'

The Hunters never wanted to make money from these holiday events. But what became a family tradition changed after Shantel Hunter's mother died.

Because her end-of-life care was so positive, they wanted to raise money for hospice. The Halloween event transitioned from an elaborate family tradition to the perfect excuse for a fundraiser.

"She had ovarian cancer and beat that. She had colon cancer and beat that," Hunter said of her mom, summarizing nearly 20 years of medical history. "We thought pancreatic cancer would be nothing, but we were wrong."

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Hunter described her mother as someone who never complained, not about anything, including cancer.

"I remember the day she passed, I had an eye appointment, and I really didn't want to go. She told me to go," Hunter said. "So I went, and 20 minutes later she passed. I think she knew and didn't want me to be there."

For Lukas Hunter, his grandmother was like a second mom.

"She always helped people and was always so kind; she even left candy in the mailbox for the mailman," Hunter said. "Hospice, they took good care of grandma."

Community support

This event is sponsored by a number of local businesses, said Shantel Hunter, whose cleaning service Shantel's Royal Shine is also a sponsor.

Moreland Fruit Farm provided pumpkins, Chrysanthemums and gourds for the event.

"The owner told us to take as much as we wanted, so we took two cars down there," she said.

Pizza Hut is donating pizzas on an as-need basis throughout the night while Frito-Lay sent 800 bags of chips, Hunter said. Others like Germain Honda donated money to purchase candy.

Other sponsors include Sweet Memories Baking Co., Central Farm and Garden, Papa John's, Wooster Walmart and Save A Lot.

"I'm really so thankful for all of these sponsors," Hunter said. "Especially with how things are right now with staffing and high prices."

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: 'Haunt for Hospice' event to raise money for end-of-life care provider