Loving your neighbor: Soap Lake woman raises funds for dying community member

SOAP LAKE — A Soap Lake woman is working hard to raise money for the end-of-life expenses for a fellow community member who had been homeless in the Soap Lake area for the last couple of years.

In early October, Shawna Kluge said she knew something was wrong when she saw a dog she recognized being posted in a local Facebook group. The posts were saying that the dog, which Kluge knew as Shelby, was running around loose in Soap Lake. Kluge knew Shelby’s owner, 43-year-old Brandi Del Monte, and that something was wrong, because Del Monte never let her dog run around loose like that.

Del Monte was a homeless woman who was known over the last couple years to frequent the corner of Division Street and Highway 28. She would sit on the corner in a camp chair with a sign nearly every day.

“I enjoyed seeing her,” Kluge said.

It is unclear exactly how long Del Monte was homeless, but Kluge said her family had not had much contact with her in the last six to seven years and did not know she was homeless. Del Monte’s husband was a long-haul trucker and Del Monte would travel with him. Her family assumed she was still traveling with him in the truck.

Police records indicate Del Monte was in Quincy in 2019 and in early 2020 came to Soap Lake.

Kluge had come to know Del Monte over the last couple of years in Soap Lake and assisted her with her dog when she could.

Kluge runs a rescue called The Rock Bottom Rocker Pet Pantry.

The Rock Bottom Rocker Pet Pantry Facebook page says it serves the Grant County community by providing pet supplies, animal education and rescue services for community members in need.

Kluge was able to track down Shelby and immediately got to work to try to find out what had happened to Del Monte. Kluge said she called every major hospital in Washington until she reached out to MultiCare Deaconess Hospital in Spokane. Kluge was able to leave her contact information with the hospital to pass along to Del Monte’s family. Kluge was contacted a short time later by members of Del Monte’s extended family, who lived in Kansas. Del Monte herself is from a small town in southeastern Kansas called Fredonia, about 87 miles east of Wichita.

Kluge came to learn that Del Monte had been in the hospital since mid-September and was determined to be brain dead by her doctors. Kluge said the doctors said that her condition was a result of a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Simply put, Del Monte’s brain had gone without oxygen for too long. It was unclear what had caused the TBI.

Kluge said that from what she could gather, Del Monte had not been feeling well in the days prior to her hospitalization.

Kluge drove over to Spokane in November and video chatted with Del Monte’s family so they could see her.

“It has been a blessing to be there for her family,” said Kluge.

Kluge said that despite Del Monte’s problems, she was a good person. Kluge explained that Del Monte was always kind to people and cared deeply for Shelby.

In a Facebook post on Dec. 15 Kluge said: “Although some of us may not have understood her life choices, one thing is for sure: Brandi was a kind and compassionate human being. She had an amazing heart and loved all animals.”

Family members described Del Monte as kind and caring. She never forgot anyone’s birthday, they said, and made sure they knew she cared about them. One relative said, “She had the biggest heart around. She may have not always had the right means but she would give her only shirt or whatever it may be to someone who needed it more.”

In the last couple of weeks, Del Monte was moved from life support to comfort care and hospice. She is expected to pass away any day. Kluge is working to raise money for Del Monte’s cremation and the cost to transport her remains back to her family in Kansas.

The Facebook fundraiser Kluge set up can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/donate/625188512129651.

“I am hoping that the community and beyond can see it in their hearts to donate even if it’s a small donation. I could not imagine if this was my loved one and I was thousands of miles away and unable to get them home. Her family is faced with losing their loved one and not being able to say goodbye. They haven’t seen each other in more than five years. Please help me send Brandi home,” the Dec. 15 post stated.

As of Dec. 26, the fundraiser has raised $785 of a $2,000 goal.

Shortly after Kluge took Shelby in, she had a litter of puppies. Kluge says when the time is right she will be finding permanent homes for not just Shelby’s puppies, but for Shelby as well.

Kluge also hopes to hold a celebration of life for Del Monte in the spring.

Rebecca Pettingill can be reached via email at rpettingill@columbiabasinherald.com.