Van Buren Township resident Ron Abt was born in 1962 at Detroit’s Mt. Carmel Hospital, and grew up in Inkster.

“Mom was from Detroit, dad was from Germany,” he said. “I graduated Cherry Hill High School in 1981. Started playing my blues harmonica in the hallways at school – people would drop change in a milk carton. Been playing ever since.”

In the 1980s, Abt served in the U.S. Navy.

“I was stationed in Sardinia in port services for the Almighty Canoe Club,” he said. “We were shore-based ops that worked on boats, and I operated “The Hulk”, a 60-ton floating crane. Loved Sardinia, didn’t want to leave. Gorgeous scenery; fresh, delicious seafood. While over there, I also loved seeing the soccer culture of Manchester, England, and the beauty of Palma Mallorca in the Balearic Islands, Spain.”

Abt also worked at Westland’s infamous Eloise Psychiatric Hospital.

“You arrive as patient,” he said. “If you made it 90 days your title was changed to ‘subject’ and you were given a number. Hegira had PIC (Psychiatric Intervention Center) in one wing and alcohol and drug rehab in another in the back building. The place was and is haunted. I worked midnights when patients were asleep. My co-workers and I would walk the underground steam tunnels. You always felt like someone was looking over your shoulder.”

He has visible goosebumps on his forearms as he tells the story.

“It was reported there was a ghost of an old woman on the fifth floor who used to hum music,” he said. “One time, me and three co-workers were in an elevator. It stopped at the fourth floor. We could hear the humming. Then on the fifth floor it was louder. We walked to this room – it sounded like it was someone just on other side of the door – whipped open the door, nothing. It stopped.”

Supposedly, the original ghost was on the property before Eloise even existed.

“There used to be an 1800’s saloon there called the Black Horse Tavern, where some guy was murdered,” Abt said. “Eloise had footage of a ghost who only crawled on the walls and ceiling – it never walked. It was speculated it might be the original ghost.”

Abt has one other Eloise story:

“There was a morgue in the bottom of the building, just before the tunnels,” he said. “I was horsing around with my co-worker friend, and I hopped in one of those mortuary cabinet drawers. Within five seconds, I heard dozens of male and female voices all screaming and wailing – faintly but rising to deafeningly loud levels. My friend pulled me out about 30 seconds later and said, ‘What happened to you?’ I was white as a sheet and drenched head to foot in sweat. The basement is still there, they just buried it with dirt. It’s the spine of Eloise.”

Abt also worked for Wayne County’s Meals on Wheels program.

“I delivered food to various senior centers and fed 600 people a day until I got hurt in 2011,” he said. “Then I moved out here to VBT. I have a big backyard. It feels like rural living but with modern amenities down the street. I love it – Belleville Lake, burgers at the Rusted Crow, Johnny’s on the Lake.”

Abt also loves golfing, collecting antique smalls, fishing, and hunting.