Mother remembers daughter as Elgin community gathers to mourn late teacher

ELGIN, Okla. (KSWO) - A mother is remembering her daughter and the Elgin community is mourning the loss of a beloved teacher.

Holly Hill, a beloved teacher at Elgin Public Schools and an alumnus of the school, died last week.

Family, friends and community members gathered at the Elgin Performing Arts Center to pay respects to Holly on a rainy Tuesday morning.

Leading up to Holly’s death

Holly’s mother, Kelly Hunter, shared Holly’s story and what happened the day her life changed forever two and a half years ago in allegations that were highlighted in a civil suit.

“She was served to drink that instead of having Margarita mix and it was made with industrial degreaser that contained lye and that lye damaged her esophagus to the point that my daughter’s been fighting for life for two and a half years,” Hunter said.

Holly’s mother said they spent a week in the hospital, but it took more than 12 weeks to keep her esophagus open.

“I started to really worry when my baby girl woke up, and I had to tell her she couldn’t eat or drink anything for 30 days. She’d be upset, but she smiled at me and said I could do that,” Hunter said.

Holly was not only a teacher, but she drove school buses too. After time in the hospital, Holly decided to live her routine life.

“As usual, she got up and went back to work because her kids needed her,” Hunter said.

Holly’s final day

Hunter said while Holly was at work, she began to feel unwell and spiked a fever. She decided to finish her day at home in bed and go to the hospital in the morning, until her mother received a call.

“And about 1:18 a.m., she called me and she was gasping for breath and telling me that she couldn’t breathe, she needed help,” Hunter said.

Hunter said she rushed to help her daughter.

“She told me I’m dying mom, but I need you to know that I love y’all. And I said you’re not going to die baby girl, you’re too strong for that,” Hunter said.

Holly’s husband continued to speak to dispatch operators when she lost her pulse. That’s when Kelly stepped in and started CPR.

“I really don’t know how long I did CPR, it seemed like forever,” Hunter said.

First responders arrived on scene and Holly’s mom thought everything was okay.

“It really felt like I did it, you know? I thought they were there. She had a pulse. We were going to be okay,” Hunter said.

Then Holly lost her pulse again when the first responders tried to move her.

“I sat there and watched my baby die right in front of me. It’s like my heart broke and that’s not even scratching the surface,” Hunter said.

Why the family stayed silent

Holly’s mom also shared why it took so long for them to speak about Holly’s story. According to Kelly, it’s because they couldn’t.

“And you know a lot of people are asking why, why wasn’t something said before. The whole time this was under litigation we were told to shut our mouths and that we were not allowed to put anything on social media. That’s why and I really would like people to know that. It’s not that we didn’t care until she was dead, it was that we were literally told to shut our mouths,” Hunter said.

Kelly says she wants someone to be held accountable.

“But what I would like is criminal charges filed and someone held accountable for my daughter’s death,” Hunter said.

Moving forward

Kelly is now remembering what kind of person her daughter was.

“She was loud and she had beautiful dimples and always had a smile on her face and had beautiful blue eyes. And she was energetic and caring. She loved babies and kids. And she was honestly my best friend,” Hunter said.

The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation is currently looking into Hill’s death as suspicious following a request from the Comanche County District Attorney.