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The Fangmans, eBay and The Animal House

Published:Sunday | July 21, 2013 | 12:00 AM
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Celebrating more than four decades of marriage and their 10th trip to the island, Ilana and Bill Hall enjoy a glass of champagne prior to dinner.
Salute: (from left) Michael Satchell, Darcy Fangman, Michelle Satchell and Couples Executive Chef Stefan Spath toast another successful charity dinner in aid of The Animal House.
Michelle Henry is probably used to the comedic side of her husband Leonard Henry, general manager of Couples Tower Isle, but it still makes her smile.
Michael Satchell (left) has the full attention of Jim Fangman.
Newly-weds Samantha and Jordan Bittel, on their honeymoon, get a special taste of the island.
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Nashauna Drummond, Acting Lifestyle Editor

It's no secret that Jim and Darcy Fangman are animal lovers. They have six dogs at home in Missouri (two of which they adopted from Jamaica), and, for the fourth consecutive year, they put in the highest bid in an eBay auction to benefit a Jamaican charity - Animal House, a St Ann-based animal shelter.

The couple's bid was for a special dinner sponsored by Couples Tower Isle, and on Friday, July 12, they and a few of their specially invited guests gathered at Tumbleweed in Upton, Ocho Rios, for that dinner prepared by the resort chain's genius executive chef, Stefan Spath.

The Fangmans took their donation to the charity up a notch this year. A few weeks before their scheduled trip to the island, with a supply of animal medication (they take a supply with them to Jamaica on each visit), they learned that the refrigerator and freezer at Animal House were not working.

Armed with pictures showing the state of the appliances, the Fangman's took to Facebook and within 24 hours raised more than US$1,000 to purchase all new equipment. This will no doubt aid the shelter's operations in a big way, since the freezer and refrigerator hold not only the animals' medication, but also meat scraps donated by hotels in the area.

The satisfaction of getting much-needed assistance to the shelter helped create a joyful atmosphere for the dinner. It was like a gathering of old friends. As the sun set on the warm summer evening, the group fell silent under the spell of Spath's magic. The symphony of the creatures of the night was complemented only by oohs and aahs as the guests enjoyed the spread. The outdoor setting at Tumbleweed is simply majestic, and when you couple this with food created by Spath, there simply are no words.

The Fangmans told Outlook that they would be very disappointed if they didn't manage to put in the highest bid for the dinner one year, but said it would still warm their hearts to know that the money was going to the shelter anyway.

Maureen Sheiden, who runs Animal House, told Outlook that the Fangmans have been simply amazing. "They have been supporting us for about six to seven years. They visited us once and kinda stuck with us. I cannot thank them enough. There are some people who are special and these two really are. And Couples and Stefan have just been super," she said.

Contributed Photos