Standing with Hunter Baker and the Family of Brad Ward
Who We’re Helping This Year
The Shane Showdown was created to honor Shane Brown’s legacy of kindness, laughter, and showing up for others. Each year, our community rallies around local families facing unimaginable challenges.
For the 2025 Shane Showdown on November 25th, we are honored to support two families who need our valley’s love and strength now more than ever.
Hunter & Her Family
At just 14 weeks pregnant, Hunter received a devastating diagnosis: stage 4 cancer.
What should have been a season of joy has been replaced by ER visits, hospital stays, specialist appointments, heavy treatments, missed work, and the crushing stress of preparing for a baby while fighting for her life.
Through it all, Hunter and her family have shown extraordinary courage, but they’ve also been pushed to the brink. Travel costs for treatment, lost income, and mounting medical bills have created a burden no family should have to face alone.
This November, we stand with them.
No one fights this kind of battle without a team behind them and we want to be theirs.
The Family of Brad Ward
We are also supporting the family of Bradley David Ward, who passed away suddenly on November 7, 2025, at age 42.
Brad was everything we hope to honor with the Shane Showdown: a man who lifted others, served quietly, loved deeply, and made the world brighter simply by being in it.
Born and raised in Cache Valley, Brad grew up on his family’s cattle farm in Richmond and learned early the value of hard work and steady kindness. He graduated from Sky View High, served a mission in Birmingham, England, and earned his degree from Utah State University.
Brad married the love of his life, Shannon, in 2005, and together they raised four wonderful children: Hallie, Breklyn, Roxie, and Houston. He built a life centered on family, faith, and community. Whether coaching soccer and basketball, refereeing football games, leading Northern Utah United, or cheering from the sidelines, Brad poured his heart into the youth of our valley.
He served as Bishop of the Smithfield 25th Ward at the time of his passing and was known for noticing people others overlooked, offering quiet service, and showing up when it mattered. His influence touches hundreds of families in Cache Valley and beyond.
Brad leaves behind a legacy of love, service, laughter, unwavering compassion, and a family navigating a heartbreaking loss.
This year, we skate for them.
How You Can Help
Every dollar raised through the Shane Showdown goes directly to these two families. Your support – whether through Venmo or donations at any USU Credit Union – makes a real difference.
Thank you for showing up.
Thank you for loving like Shane.
And thank you for helping carry two families who truly need their community right now.