We are shocked and saddened to learn of the untimely passing of this radiant soul. We briefly crossed paths when she helped my husband and I enter the foster care world and I remember that I was comforted by her warmth. I later learned she fell in love and had a baby and I recall being so happy for her and her family! It is hard to understand why God would cut this angel’s life so short. We are praying for her family, that they find peace. Halie lived the quote, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” We will miss you, Halie. Thank you for serving others. ~Dawn and Dave Bush
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Halie was a wonderful co worker and such a bright light for all the families she worked with. I had so much respect for her work ethic and generosity. I feel very luck to have known her, even if it was just for short time, and I know she is greatly missed by all.
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I am so sad to hear about the passing of Halie. Please accept my heartfelt condolences during this difficult time. Halie was such a good friend to me, and so many of my childhood memories are with her. I will always remember her kindness, laughter, and our fun sleepovers. My prayers are with you all as you navigate through this loss.
2
Dear Aria,
I first met your mom when she was studying to be a social worker at the best school ever, the University of Texas 🤘🏼 where she was getting her Master’s degree. Right before you graduate you have to do a final field internship for a semester and students get to choose where they do this. Your mom and I talked about what the internship would be like - working with children in foster care and supporting the families that took care of them, training, driving to their homes, and how the schedule could be hard sometimes because things happen 24/7. Your mom looked so excited and said she wanted to learn all of it! And she did just that. Your mom was super smart, caring, and very organized. She loved writing with different colored pens in her calendar to keep all of her appointments categorized. Your mom wasn’t scared of how hard the job was, in fact she thrived doing this work. The harder the problem was the harder she worked to make it better. We hired her and she worked as a case manager and later moved into a role training the families. But your mom could see there were some holes in the system that was supposed to be helping our kids. Some of the daycares that our kids went to weren’t great and she dreamed that someday she could make a daycare that would know how to work with kids who have experienced hard things called trauma. A few years later she had the chance to go and be a director for a daycare. Even though it was a hard decision to leave, she knew it was a good chance to see if she would be able to fulfill her dream. Even though she left, we still talked and stayed in touch. Your mom still helped me by writing long papers about families and she was still connected to HHH. But then a crazy thing happened - COVID came and lots of people were getting sick and places like your mom’s daycare were closing down. Things were getting busier for me and I really needed someone to help me not only support the children and families, but also our team which was growing bigger. I went to my boss and said I had to have help and needed an assistant director to help carry the load. It was approved and I remember walking outside to the parking lot and calling your mom to ask her if she would come and be the first ever assistant director. She immediately said yes! She was the youngest person on the team but it didn’t matter because I knew she was the perfect person for the role.
I’m going to miss your mom so much and I know there will never be another person like her. You loved coming to the office with her, playing with her flower pillow, and all of the fidgets and toys you could find. You helped her make goody bags for our kids, and you loved coming to our parties with all the families. I experienced a lot of “firsts” with her that will forever stay in my heart. She was the first person who taught my daughter Kaylee cheer stuff because she finally found something she was interested in. She let me play wedding planner for the first time, since it was something I had always said I wanted to try. You were the first person that Kaylee babysat so your parents could have a day date. The list goes on and on. If you ever want to hear more stories I’m always just a phone call away. We love you Aria and will always be here for you and your dad if you ever need us. Your mom loved both of you so much and not a day went by that we didn’t talk about you. She would want you both to be happy so on your hardest days just look at her smile to lift your spirits.
Love always,
Kristi Duck
13
Halie was one of my best friends throughout elementary school. When she moved to Angleton and switched schools we became pen pals, constantly writing letters back and forth that we would both always sign off “Please write back”. I have many memories of weekend sleepovers spent exploring outside, playing hide and seek or going swimming in the summer time. Although we lost contact after high school, I kept up with her on social media and enjoyed seeing her grow and thrive. When we were younger Halie was always positive, upbeat and just a joy to be around. My heart breaks thinking of the heartbreak her family is going through right now. I pray for comfort and courage for you all during this unimaginable time. Halie will always hold a special place in my childhood memories and I feel blessed to have known her during her time on this earth.
1
I can’t imagine a world without Halie, it feels like she was always there right next to me as we ran around all over Angleton causing mayhem. I can see us in middle school after class hanging out in Mrs. Marksberry’s room singing and dancing to Avril Lavigne songs on YouTube. I can see us in intermediate school showing up at Spartime wearing matching tshirts and skirts to meet up with cute boys from school whose idea of flirting was to hide our shoes. I can remember dressing up as “gangsters” for Andrew’s Halloween party and borrowing boy pants and showing up with “grills” which was really just foil in our teeth and colored hair with oversized tshirts while all the other girls went with cute outfits. I can see us in high school in the back of the bus on the way to every football game sharing one iPod doing synchronized dances to every song that played 3 hours away or not. Some of our favorite dances included Justin Bieber’s “Baby”, 3OH!3’s “my first kiss”, and of course owl city’s “fireflies” with Halie always coming up with the best moves, which I still act out to this day. I’ll never forget the countless sleepovers at the Marksberry’s who keep us alive on macaroni, peanut M&Ms, and goldfish while we binged movies all day and talked about boys all night. Like I said, it’s hard to imagine a world without Halie, you were my best friend and I wouldn’t be me today without you, keep on dancing up there and just being you and I’ll keep dancing for both us down here.
4
To Halie’s family, I am deeply sorry for your loss, no words can truly describe it. The short time I had the chance of knowing her is nothing compared to the lifetime you’ve shared with her. She was an amazing person and is so loved. Thank you for sharing her with us, I know I am forever grateful for the time I had her as a friend and mentor. She has made me a better person, social worker, friend, and mom. I hope you find comfort in the coming days while seeing the HUGE impact she has left on everyone she encountered. I know her light will shine through you, Aria. Your mommy loved you more than anything and did everything in her power to make sure you knew that, were loved, and cared for at all times. I hope that you find peace knowing how much mommy loved you as you grow.
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