Have You Seen This? Halloween display inspires woman during cancer treatments

By Ashley Fredde, KSL.com | Posted - Oct. 9, 2024 at 3:35 p.m.

Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes

OXFORD, Ohio — An Ohio man's elaborate skeleton display has brought more fright than delight to some of his neighbors.

Bill Pyle's front yard contains several life-size and larger-than-life skeletons he rearranges throughout the week. Some skeletons have wigs, dresses and props, ranging from fake guns to cellphones.

The elaborate Halloween display has drawn some criticism from Pyle's neighbors and maybe those who travel the road alongside his yard, with his mailbox filling each year with hate mail. Some complaints accuse Pyle of worshipping the devil or glorifying death. All the bones the neighbors had to pick and the haunting hate mail in his mailbox prompted him to consider scaling back the display ... until he received a new letter in the mail. The story is featured in this video by CBS Evening News.

Tammy Weihe told the man she frequently passed his display on the way to her radiation treatments. Weihe had been diagnosed with cancer and, while the road trips could be filled with dread, the frightful displays brought her delight.

"The bone family and what they're up to is the highlight of my journey," she wrote, adding that her final treatment was coming up.

Touched by her letter, Pyle knew exactly what the next display would be. On her way to the treatment, Weihe was greeted by the bone family celebrating her accomplishment, with one dressed in a cheerleading costume and others holding signs with phrases like, "Way to go, Tammy."

The letter and the friendship that followed have inspired Pyle to not only continue his display but make it even bigger.