‘Dee Ceased made so many people smile’

MADISON HEIGHTS — Until recently, a family of skeletons had been living their best lives on West Gardenia Avenue, their antics changing with the seasons like some sort of surreal sitcom.

Holly and Michael Hayter were recently recognized by the Madison Heights City Council for the adorable display. The married couple first set up the skeletons at their home at 758 W. Gardenia Ave. during the fall of 2020, as a way to celebrate Halloween and spread some cheer amid the pandemic. The first display featured a group of skeletons dressed as a construction crew with stop signs, due to road work on nearby 11 Mile Road that turned Gardenia Avenue into a detour.

They returned a year later, in September 2021, with the skeletons tending a pumpkin patch. The Hayters tweaked the scene every few days, so that the pumpkins steadily grew in size. A pair of 12-foot-tall skeletons slowly emerged with them, the pumpkins on their heads.

This time, they stayed up, and even more scenes unfolded in the following months. 

“I love Halloween, I really do. It’s my time of the year, my time to shine,” Holly said. “But once people realized we were changing the scenes every couple days as we move stuff around, they saw that and said, ‘We want more — this is great!’ Especially the people who’d drive through here for the detour at the beginning — it gave them something to smile about when they’re stressed going out of their way. It gave them something to look forward to each day.”

At times, there were as many as 20 skeletons in the yard. But in November 2021, the Hayters scaled it back, and began crafting scenes with “Dee Ceased” — one of the giant skeletons — as the main character.

That Thanksgiving, Dee could be seen snacking on a turkey leg and wearing a T-shirt that said, “Oh snap!”  A fellow skeleton stood nearby in Native American garb, holding a sign that read, “Happy Thanksgiving.” For Christmas, Dee was dressed as Santa and her friend as an elf, with a Christmas tree to decorate, and presents nearby. For New Year’s, Dee was dressed to impress, with a bottle of champagne in hand. And for Valentine’s Day, she wore a wig and dress, along with a hat a neighbor made and a ring on her bony finger. The mailbox was stuffed full of treats and valentines made by the Hayter kids, which the neighbors were free to take home and enjoy.

When spring arrived, the 12-foot-tall Dee dressed as “the world’s tallest leprechaun.” Her shorter companion was also dressed in green and holding a mug of beer. For Easter, the smaller skeleton dressed as a carrot, and the two posed with a giant inflatable egg. As the weather warmed, they could be seen holding pinwheels, and come summer they were sporting sling bikinis made from Fourth of July bandanas donated by a fan, surrounded by beach balls and a giant rubber ducky.

The Hayters and their three kids were continually incorporating new ideas. Some concepts were sourced from the skeletons’ fan following on social media, such as a summertime baseball scene where Dee wore a jersey with her name, playing ball with her “Boo Crew.”

At one point, Dee held a sign for a neighbor’s missing cat. And when the school year began, the two skeletons dressed as parents — the dad wearing a pot-bellied “dad bod” shirt and a pair of gray sweatpants. Together, they saw off a kid skeleton carrying a backpack and large pencil.

Come fall, Dee was seated for the first time, with a bonfire to keep her warm. More skeletons joined her to roast marshmallows.

“The other skeletons were also bent over ‘toasting their buns,’ with their butts to the fire,” laughed Holly.

Last Halloween, all of the skeletons returned, wearing different outfits from past scenes. Together, they enjoyed a game of cornhole in the front yard.

The skeletons continued to party in the front yard until February 2023. That’s when the Hayters decided to retire the display, for now. Holly lost her mother around the holidays, so she hadn’t been able to give Dee Ceased the same attention lately. Holly said her mother, Bonita, was one of the biggest supporters of the display. Her mother once even posed with the smaller skeleton, which the fans named “Bone Ita” in her honor.

She noted that Dee will likely return in September, and that she has been thinking of a possible collaboration with local artist Jennifer Ramirez — the woman behind several outdoor murals in Madison Heights, who was also recently recognized by the City Council.

Holly said the love from the fans has been simply overwhelming.

“The community response was honestly what kept us going. They fell in love seeing it, and the joy it brought them really connected with us,” Holly said. “It brought so much happiness to the community during COVID and construction. I think I only heard one or two negative comments the entire time. With our kids, even their classmates were like, ‘Oh, you guys live at the skeleton house!’ We started out doing this just for fun, but then it spread.”

Sean Fleming, a member of the Madison Heights City Council, arranged for the family to receive a certificate of recognition, which the Hayters were awarded Feb. 27.

“When COVID first started, it was pretty depressing — everything was locked down and you couldn’t go anywhere. All you could do was go for a walk or bike ride. Even some outdoor places were shut down,” Fleming said. “But around that time is when the Hayters put up their display. At first, it was like every other Halloween display with large skeletons, but then it just kept changing. It was a landmark you’d pass by, where you couldn’t wait to see what happens next. It gave us all something to talk about, rather than just being mentally exhausted by sad news.”

Mark Bliss, the mayor pro tem, praised the display as a work of art.

“Oftentimes when we think of art installation, we think museums and pieces that are hundreds if not thousands of years old. But modern art can be as simple as what the Hayter family put up. They’re equally important, and maybe even more so since we are experiencing them in real time,” Bliss said. “It’s fun, it’s exciting, and I’m incredibly appreciative of how they took the time and effort to create such an amazing pop-up display that engaged our residents at a difficult time in our history.”

Roslyn Grafstein, the mayor of Madison Heights, said the display unified people.

“It’s awesome. Dee Ceased made so many people smile through such hard times as we’re going through a pandemic, and then construction. We’re being forced onto Gardenia out of our way, and we’re cranky because of the extra traffic, but then seeing this giant skeleton in different clothing and settings, it gave us reason to pause and laugh,” Grafstein said. “There’s so much seriousness and sadness in the world today; people find so many reasons to fight and disagree and not get along. But then you have a giant skeleton in a dress or a baseball uniform or posing as a leprechaun, and it just brings everyone together.”