Support Etta Hunt's Family in Their Time of Loss

Etta Hunt was a beloved mother, grandmother, and friend who passed away on January 9th 2025.

I am starting this GoFundMe on behalf of Etta's son, Steven, and family. Steven has been the caretaker for his mom for years and since the unexpected passing of his father at the end of 2022, he had to give up working full time to take care of her. I am hoping this can help with the huge and unfortunate financial burden that comes along with the passing of a loved one. The last thing anyone should have to worry about while they are grieving a loved one is finances - so anything not only helps but is appreciated more than you know.

Steven, Etta's son, and his partner in life, Kathleen and her son, Ryan, are not just some of my best friends but they are family to me. For as long as I can remember, making sure Etta was cared for and had everything she needed was one of their biggest priorities. There was not a thing in the world that they wouldn't do for her, especially Steven. To Steven, Etta was not only his mom but his very best friend. Day or night, no matter what was going on, if Etta called for him - he was there. Etta was just the kind of person that inspired that kind of love and loyalty.

I have known Etta over 20 years now, first meeting her when I was 6, having just moved next door. We moved at the beginning of summer, so without school to help me make friends, I was pretty lonely. Enter Etta, who told me to "come on through the fence" after seeing me try (and fail) to get her dogs to come over the fence so I could pet them. After getting the go ahead from my Mom who was out on our back porch, I ran next door and just like that, I had made my very first friend.

Growing up next door, Etta was not just a friend but an honorary member of my family. Her and my mom regularly spent mornings or evenings on Etta's patio, drinking wine or coffee, sharing stories and secrets. She watched me and my siblings often after school or during the summer while my parents worked, keeping all of our' favorites snacks and drinks stocked. Allowing us unlimited access to the pool in their backyard, insisting it was "just as much ours as it was hers." Countless birthday parties, graduation celebrations, summer cookouts were held at her house - without hesitation she welcomed my friends and family into her home as if they were her own. Looking back on my childhood and growing up, Etta is everywhere. Even after I moved out and became an adult, she was still there - always cheering me on, encouraging me, telling me she was proud of me when I would get to see her. That was just who Etta was. She showed up for you. She loved easily and freely, and once she loved you, that was it. You were her people for life. She would share and give and do anything for you. That heart is what I believe led to her long career as a special education teacher in Botetourt County. Even after she retired, she often spoke of how much she not only loved her job and the kids she taught.

Out of all the roles Etta played in her life, her proudest was being a mother and grandmother. Her daughter, Pam, and son, Steven, were her heart, soul and source of joy. Their spouses, who she loved as her own, Michael and Kathleen, only brought more joy - especially with the addition of her grandchildren - Logan, Brayden and Ryan.

Etta leaves a deeply painful and indescribable void with her passing, one felt most by her children and grandchildren. She possessed a kindness and love that the world often lacks but most surely needs. She was not just kind and loving but fierce and funny and loyal and smart and a million other wonderful things. She was one of a kind, in the truest sense of the phrase. To say she will be missed is a massive understatement.