Carmel community keeping spirit of murder-suicide victim alive
More than a month after the death of Shannon Hall, friends and family say signs of her are everywhere.
In the stands at Cathedral High School football games, where Hall graduated in 1992, people wear T-shirts with her name. Teachers at St. Louis de Montfort School in Fishers wear polka-dot bracelets to match the polka-dot decorations Hall, a teacher, put up in her second-grade classroom. St. Louis De Montfort Catholic Church's Fall Festival 5K, scheduled for Sept. 27, was renamed to the "Shannon Smiles 5K."
"I can't escape thinking of her, even if I tried to go an hour without it," said Hall's sister, Colleen O'Malia Stine, 30. "My world revolved around our friendship."
Shannon Hall, 40, was fatally shot by her estranged husband, David Hall, 38, on July 27, while she was staying at the Carmel home of her parents, Rita and Danny O'Malia. Police said David Hall then shot himself.
The couple's two sons were with their grandparents in the house at the time of the shootings.
Police ruled the incident a murder-suicide but have not released additional details. The coroner's report has not been released.
Like much of the community, Stine has channeled her grief into honoring her sister's positive spirit. She launched a collection called "Shannon Smiles" in early August through her online business, CoCo Stine Designs, where she sells bracelets and prints. She's also selling T-shirts in her sister's memory that read "let your smile change the world."
In the past month, Stine said she has sold 1,200 T-shirts and thousands of bracelets and prints.
Stine, who lives in St. Louis, said her online business is a constant reminder of her sister. Shannon Hall learned printmaking after Stine's design business took off a couple of years ago. Stine's business partner, Colleen Berkowitz, suggested the fundraising idea and in a few day's time, the campaign was announced.
"I will never understand why this happened," Stine wrote on a blog post Aug. 5, "but I know that now I must step up and make a difference in these boys' lives. I have never been more sure of anything in my life."
In the past month, Stine and her partners have received orders, as well as donations, from across the country and have raised an estimated $55,000, which will go to a trust fund for her nephews, 8-year-old Danny and 10-year-old Connor. One woman in California held an online auction and donated $4,600 to the boys' trust fund.
The O'Malia family did not have an estimate of how much has been donated to the trust fund.
Danny O'Malia was the president of the family's O'Malia's Food Markets, which was sold to Marsh Supermarkets in 2001. The O'Malia family is well-known for its contributions to civic and Catholic organizations.
Family, friends and strangers have come to the aid of the family in the weeks since Shannon's murder, ordering shirts and bracelets, delivering meals to the O'Malias and their grandsons in Carmel, and driving the boys to and from St. Louis De Montfort School. Teachers and counselors at the school have worked with the boys to make sure they have the support they need, said Janet Andriole, Shannon Hall's older sister and assistant principal.
It's been "like nothing I ever dreamed," said Andriole, 44. "As sad as it is, it's beautiful to see good everyone has done."
The school community has tried to keep the memorials positive but understated to help the Hall boys cope, Stine said. Some events are named after Shannon Hall, while other gestures are less obvious, like the decal of a heart commemorating Shannon on the school's football helmets.
"The people of De Montfort are looking after them every minute of the day," Danny O'Malia said, adding that "the emotional high of seeing my daughter do this and seeing all the response from people we know and even people I'm not sure who they are is unbelievable."
Call Star reporter Steph Solis at (317) 444-6494. Follow her on Twitter: @stephmsolis.
Helping the O'Malia family
The O'Malias are directing donations to The Connor and Danny Hall Trust Fund, which will help pay for the Hall boys' college and other expenses. Donations can be made at any PNC Bank.
The Shannon Smiles 5K is part of the St. Louis De Montfort Fall Festival and is open to participants on the registration page. For more information, visit https://secure.getmeregistered.com/get_information.php?event_id=11721.