Boy returns to Illinois following parents' Kaua'i drowning
By Jan TenBruggencate
Advertiser Kaua'i Bureau
Daniel Hantack, the 11-year-old whose parents drowned after being swept off a rocky shelf April 1, flew home to Illinois last night with his uncle, Gary, his father's twin brother.
A fund has been established to help Daniel Hantack. Contributions may be sent to: The Daniel Hantack Benefit Fund, c/o The Bank of Edwardsville, P.O. Box 899, Edwardsville, IL 62025.
The boy is putting on a brave face, but occasionally asks after his parents, said his grandmother, Natalie Hutchens, 74, of Edwardsville, Ill., with whom the boy will be staying.
Fund created
"He told me, 'I'm doing fine, Grandma.' But Gary said he sometimes breaks down. We might have to get him a counselor for a while," she said.
Terry Hantack, 50, and his wife Debora, 51, of Edwardsville, were vacationing on Kaua'i with their only child, Daniel, when they climbed onto a rocky ledge at the eastern end of Lumaha'i Beach. Bystanders said a wave knocked the couple into rough seas, while Daniel was knocked down on the rocks. He was gathered up by other beachgoers.
Lifeguards on personal watercraft recovered the parents' bodies, but resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful. Autopsies indicated they drowned.
The Hantacks lived in a rural community outside the college town of Edwardsville. Their Eaton Lane property had 10 acres, two horses and a pond. Nearby properties are large, but families are close.
Hutchens, Debora's mother, said the phone has not stopped ringing with offers to help.
"People have been bringing food, offering to mow and everything," she said. "People have been really great."
Debora Hutchens was the only child of Natalie and L.D. Hutchens, 78, and Daniel is their only grandchild. They have cared for him for most of his life when his parents were at work, "so it's his home, too," she said.
"We wouldn't want anybody else to take care of him as long as we're able," she said. "He goes to his Uncle Gary in case we get disabled."
Gary Hantack lives in St. Charles, Mo., about an hour away, and has four children of his own, Daniel's only cousins.
Hutchens said Daniel asked on the phone whether he can spend the school year with his grandparents and summer vacations with his cousins.
Hutchens said services are planned Monday night, with a funeral Tuesday at the Bethel Church in nearby Troy, Ill.
"There's going to be a lot of people there," she said.
Reach Jan TenBruggencate at jant@honoluluadvertiser.com or (808) 245-3074.
