Only in Custer County can the Grim Reaper raise nearly twenty grand — and give it all to the living!
This Halloween, Coroner Brad Baltzly and his fiancée, Deputy Coroner Nikita Phillips, hosted the first-ever Coroner’s Halloween Fundraiser Ball — and turned a night of fright into a long-term act of kindness. Their goal? To launch a new local scholarship fund for students who live and work in the Valley.
With just six weeks of planning, the event brought together a crowd of ghouls, angels, ranchers, and rebels. And by the end of the night, over $19,000 had been raised for the newly formed Custer County Coroner’s Scholarship Fund.
From the Morgue to the Dance Floor
Clad in full costume, Brad became the Grim Reaper, towering with his wooden scythe, while Nikita stunned as the Angel of Death, feathered wings and all. But under the masks and makeup was a message worth hearing.
“Someone asked me, ‘Why is the coroner here?’” Brad said.
“And I told them — we’re paid by the taxpayer, and we’re a fact of life. When you need us, you should already know who we are, what we do, and what we’re capable of. You don’t want to learn that in a crisis. We want to be visible in the community.”
And visible they were — not just as public servants, but as neighbors doing something bold and beneficial for the next generation.
Scholarship with Soul
The Coroner’s Scholarship Fund is now active, with awards beginning this school year. Recipients will be announced during the Custer County High School’s Scholarship Night prior to graduation.
The focus is on supporting local students — especially those with a desire to live, work, or return to the county after furthering their education or training.
And in true rural fashion, donations can be made the old-fashioned way:
Drop off a check to the Treasurer’s Office at the Custer County Courthouse. The fund runs 365 days a year — no costume required.
Tradition Born in Black Lace
Brad and Nikita are not stopping here. With the community response so strong, they plan to make the Coroner’s Ball an annual tradition — something local, playful, and tied to a serious mission: giving back, and lifting up.
“We deal with death every day,” Brad said. “This is our way to help create life, opportunity, and hope for someone else.”
And maybe that’s the poetry of it: the Reaper and the Angel of Death giving life one scholarship at a time.
– K.C. Stark,
Tribune’s Man on the Street
“I’m only here because of all you — our shares, likes, comments, and kindness. I thank you, Custer County.”
