Centralia minister honors memory of Hunter Hull, shares family’s message after fatal crash
CENTRALIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Following a fatal crash Wednesday night in Centralia, a local minister is sharing his memories of 17-year-old Hunter Hull, alongside a message from the boy's family.
The Rev. Justin Danielson is the minister at Parkview Christian Church, where the Hull family are members.
Danielson said his family had just finished a family prayer when his son started receiving messages from friends that stated Hunter had been involved in an accident on Highway 124.
"Hunter's mom, Lindsey, then called and texted my wife in the Bible study group from church here and asked for prayers," Danielson said. "And then she called my wife. And then I immediately Mason and I got in the truck and took off to the hospital."
Dainielson said Hunter was incredibly passionate about basketball, often using the sport as a positive outlet.
"Basketball gave him an outlet, you know, an outlet in life. He's a very gifted athlete," Danielson said. "There's highlights out there of him dunking, and he's a good 3-point shooter, gets up and down the floor guy. and I think we all need outlets in different ways."
He added that some of his favorite memories of Hunter were through the sport.
“Well, some of my favorite memories are right here [at the church's basketball court], getting to train him and my son, Mason, in basketball. They both enjoyed that game, and they both had that passion," he said.
As his family navigates the loss of a close friend, Danielson said they are turning to their faith for comfort.
"The Lord is what gets us through," he said. "That's the only way that we can get through. And one of the verses that really has helped me is Proverbs 34:18: 'The Lord is near to the broken heart and saves the crushed in spirit.'"
He said while the Hull family continues to grieve, they wanted to pass along a message to the community.
"Make sure kids, you are wearing those seatbelts, and parents and kids, be ok with having Life360 on your phones. It's good for parents to know where their kids are, and kids, it is ok for your parents to know where you are, so they can help you in these situations," he said.
The Centralia School District told families Thursday that it will be providing resources to help students with the news of Hunter's death.
