Hundreds of people are mourning the death of a Beaufort woman killed in a car crash on Monday.
Hailee Shackelfurd, 31, was remembered as a dedicated mother who cared for her two young children and made a name for herself in the local service industry.
“(Shackelford’s son and daughter) had faces filled with the love that their mother filled every moment of every day,” according to GoFundMe, which is raising money for her funeral and setting up a future fund for her children. “She’s the best at making sure birthdays and holidays are the most important days of the year.” The online fundraiser raised nearly $60,000 in donations in three days, triple its original goal.
“We are absolutely blown away by the outreach and support we have received,” Preston Shackelford, Haley’s brother, who organized the fundraiser, wrote on social media Thursday morning. “A huge thank you to everyone who has donated or provided support during this extremely difficult time.”
Hailee Shackelfurd, 31, a mother of two and a well-known figure in the service industry in the Beaufort area, died in a traffic accident on Lady’s Island on March 16, 2026. Her funeral expenses were set up on GoFundMe, sparking an outpouring of donations that tripled their fundraising goal in just three days.
(GoFundMe In Memory of Haley Shackelford)
Hailee Shackelfurd has been serving customers at Jarvis Creek Crazy Crab on Hilton Head Island for two years. After her child was born, she continued working at the Pier Restaurant on Lady’s Island.
“She was a great server; she was a great friend. She had a great personality,” Crazy Crab restaurant manager Liz Carlisle said of Shackelford, whose employees were shocked by news of her death. Carlisle said Shackelford kept in touch with friends at the restaurant, many of whom also had young children.
Shackelford’s funeral is scheduled for Monday at Anderson Funeral Home in Beaufort, with viewing at 12 noon and funeral at 2:30 p.m., according to her brother.
A celebration of life will follow at the Red Rooster Cafe on Boundary Street. Relatives are asking anyone other than family members and “very close friends” to arrive after 5 p.m., the announcement said.
