Celebrity
Mother Of 7, Shantel Ennis, Tragically Killed In Jacksonville Crash
In the wake of the untimely death of a mother of seven, family members have come together to launch a GoFundMe account to support her family, and someone who knew her posted a tribute.
A Jacksonville community is in mourning for Shantel Patrice Ennis, a cherished mother of seven children who died on May 25, 2025, in a horrific vehicle accident on Riverside Avenue close to the Acosta Bridge.
For Ennis’ family, what started off as a typical Sunday swiftly turned into a devastating tragedy. The 29-year-old lost her life after her car struck a barrier just before noon on Riverside Avenue when she was travelling with her fiancé and their one-year-old child. Ennis did not survive, but her companion and infant were taken to the hospital and survived.
Many of those closest to her are still finding it difficult to understand the abrupt gap left behind as a result of the shockwaves caused by the loss.
Michael Fulmore, her fiancé who was driving, described waking up inside the smashed car, confused, bruised, and dealing with an unrelenting nightmare.
“I was knocked out,” he shared. “The cops woke me up and gathered me out the car and I’m tapping her trying to wake her up. I dread the fact that the kids are not going to have their mom, and I lost my fiancé. I’ve cried every tear I can cry.”
The stark contrast between the hope he brought into that Sunday and the agony that greeted him at its conclusion adds to the destruction for Ennis’ father, Pastor Jerome Sales. “Hidden power in your storm” was the title of the sermon he had delivered at Oracles of God Church that morning.
Hours later, officers appeared at his door bearing the kind of news no parent should hear. “When the officer tells you, ‘can we go inside and talk,’ they’re not giving good news [sic],” he said.
Ennis had been more than a daughter to him — she had been a source of light and joy, a steady presence since childhood. “She was so beautiful, I called her China doll,” divulged Pastor Sales. Though not his biological child, she had embraced him and his wife from the beginning, calling Sales “dad” from the moment she entered his life after she lost her biological father.
He remembered training her to drive, seeing her first kid born, and seeing her become a loving mother of seven.
“I don’t think I could have had a biological daughter that would have did more and been there for me more than she was [sic],” he said.
Recalling his own fond memories of his late fiancée, Fulmore reminisced, “She jumped on the table and started dancing, and I was looking up at the table like, I’m gonna marry this girl. She’s always been like a breath of fresh air.”
Her loved ones are now relying on faith and one another to keep her family, especially her seven children, together because sadness is ingrained in every memory. It’s their pledge to respect her life and the unselfish love she offered.
“We’re going through a tremendous storm right now and we have to rely on God to get us through,” Ennis’ father asserted.
Numerous community members have already started to donate to Ennis’ family, and the public has been informed of the drop-off location, which is 8967 Lem Turner Road.
Furthermore, Sales revealed that those who are inclined can stop by the venue on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 6 to 8 p.m. and during Sunday worship, which begins at 9:30 a.m. For additional information, they can also give 904-882-0549 a call.
To support the seven children she left behind and to help offer the homegoing service she so richly deserves, Ennis’ loved ones started a GoFundMe account.
The campaign’s message, tenderly written by her grieving family, paints a picture of the woman so many are mourning — “Shantel was more than just a beautiful soul — she was a devoted mother of 7, a fiancée, a talented makeup and lash artist, and a light to everyone who knew her.”
Both the words and the pictures that go with the page express this sentiment. In one, Ennis’s radiant, self-assured beauty is captured in a breathtaking portrait, while in another, she is shown grinning with her fiancé and kids, all dressed in matching baby blue, against the backdrop of a sunlit park.
The tribute continues by describing Ennis’ close ties to Jacksonville, where she was born and brought up in a loving and religious household.
She was well-known for having a cheerful, upbeat personality and for making people laugh by playing practical jokes. Despite her small size, she nevertheless had a passion for food. Her pleasure, generosity, and commitment to her career, faith, and family are remembered by those who knew her.
With a target of $25,000, the fundraiser has already raised almost $11,400 thanks to a wave of support.
Every donation, large or small, is a step toward easing the financial burden for the family she cherished so fiercely. “We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your support,” the campaign’s message concludes.
Among the increasing number of tributes and expressions of support for Ennis, one message in particular has struck a deep chord: a personal perspective from Amanda DeVoe, who met Ennis by chance and developed a lasting impression.
Ennis – also called “Pat”—was employed at the Tax Collector’s Office, where DeVoe first encountered him while doing a standard errand. It soon became clear that the young mother had a pleasant disposition and a good sense of beauty. In addition to praising DeVoe’s cosmetics, Ennis said he hoped to collaborate with her in the future.
During a special mother-daughter photo shoot honouring DeVoe’s mother’s 45th Deltaversary, which now has even greater significance in retrospect, that wish was fulfilled.
In her homage, DeVoe praised Ennis’ extraordinary makeup artistry, pointing out that in her nearly twenty years of collaborating with pros, few had been able to replicate the late mother’s touch.
“She was definitely one of the best to ever touch a brush,” DeVoe wrote, adding that Ennis’ kindness, radiant spirit, and devotion to her children made her stand out far beyond her artistry.
A number of pictures accompany the tribute, two of which include Ennis’ makeup artistry during the festive photo shoot. Wearing identical red and white outfits, DeVoe and her mother virtually jump out of the picture with their pride and happiness.
DeVoe tweeted a link to the GoFundMe page and urged everyone to pray for Ennis’ fiancé and kids as she concluded her statement.
As they grieve such a profound loss, we would like to offer our deepest sympathies to Fulmore, his and Ennis’ seven children, Pastor Sales and his wife, Ennis’ other loved ones, friends, and everyone who knew and loved her. In the midst of their loss, we wish them healing. Rest in peace, Ennis.
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