Krystal's one day old hospital picture.  Sweet Angel Krystal had a difficult birth and was born with a bruised right eye, and a swollen left eye.  She was a real fighter and had a strong will to thrive from the moment of her birth.  Krystal is breath-takingly gorgeous!



 
.
Krystal was born on March 5, 1974.
What a blessed day! 













Krystal was born in Titusville, Florida and became  the younger sister of Kina Jo Ann Long, who was born June 1, 1972 in Jacksonville, Florida. Kina gets her middle name from her mother - Jo Ann.  Her Mom's first daughter, her Mom's name sake. Krystal's full name is Krystal Thelma Long.  Mom thought she was being really creative with spelling Krystal, instead of the standard - Crystal.  Little did she know that in a few years Krystal Hamburgers would be created and in almost every town.  Krystal's middle name is from her maternal grandma - Thelma Patterson Locke .  Jo Ann's mom was kind, considerate, loving, compassionate, forgiving and the best mom and grandma in the whole world.  Just ask Jo Ann or any of her daughters! 

 

"Big Sister" Kina and "Little Sister" Krystal in matching bathing suits!


 











  
Grandma (Jo Ann's Mom) and Krystal. Krystal was 14 years old in this picture. Krystal's middle name is Thelma, named after her Grandma.  Grandma died at age 66 in 1997. Krystal died at age 29 in 2003. Mom hopes our spirits live on after physical death and that they are together.  They adore each other!

Krystal was only seven months old when she started walking! Amazing.  She was so little.  She never crawled.  One day she learned how to pull herself up and stand holding on to a chair or table leg.  Before we knew it this tiny little girl with blonde hair was walking alone.  Wow!

L to R- Karen and Krystal







 
Karen Francis Long (sister) was born in Jacksonville, Florida.  Francis is Karen's maternal Great Grandma's name - Ida Francis Mayhair, and Karen's maternal Great Aunt Peggy's name - Margaret Francis Orend. Great Grandma and Great Aunt Peggy are  kind, loving, compassionate, strong women who had many hardships and difficulties in life, and who who each in her own individual and unique way faced all of life's pain with dignity, resolve, inner strength, and integrity.  Krystal was now both a younger and an older sister. She was excited about "her" new baby sister. 

Krystal began taking speech therapy three times a week.  Krystal had to do mouth and tongue "exercises" by chewing one inch squares of cooked round steak several times each day.  She did not like this exercise, but this along with therapy and her inner resolve helped her completely overcome her speech impediment by the time she entered middle school.  She was a determined child and wanted to succeed at speaking well.  We are so proud of her!

Krystal's 3 year old Birthday. 
Krystal loved Birthdays.  
Cake and ice cream anyone?

"Save The Butterflies!"



Krystal was outside playing and ran inside crying to Mom.  In Krystal's little hand she gingerly held a dead butterfly.  Her tender heart was broken that the butterfly was dead, and sobbing she showed the dead butterfly to Mom.  Krystal felt so sad that the beautiful butterfly was dead, and she began her own personal campaign to "Save the Butterflies!"  She was very dedicated to her desire to save butterflies and for about 4 years she made lovely, colorful posters with hand-drawn pictures of butterflies and big letters proclaiming "Save the Butterflies!" Krystal hung her posters in our house, outside, around the neighborhood, and at school.  Krystal has always been a caring, tender-hearted, compassionate person who wants to help all sentient beings.

Krystal became a Brownie!  She stayed in Brownies and Girl Scouts until the 8th grade.  She simply loved working on all the badges, and we remember her wearing her uniforms with all her badges on her banner. One year she sold about 170 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies.  She sold the most out of all the other scouts and won a special prize. Way to go, Krystal!

Krystal began her first day in kindergarten at Lakeside Elementary School.  She was so excited about riding the bus with Kina and having her own new school supplies, new school clothes and backpack.  That first day of school, Mom smiled, hugged and kissed Krystal as she took her to class on the very first day.  Once she was out of Mom's sight, Mom broke down in tears crying.  Her baby was growing up too fast.

Krystal loved and excelled at math.  She always tested in the 99% of standardized tests.  She had more difficulty with Language Arts, but she was a real trouper and worked hard and did well in all her classes.  Every year she won Best Math Student for her grade.  What an accomplishment. 

Kelly Emily Long (sister) was born.  Emily is Kelly's paternal great-grandmother's name.   She was a kind, loving, caring, truthful, compassionate woman who always conducted herself as a complete lady.  We adored great-grandma Emily and called her "Nana." Now Krystal has two little sisters!  Krystal was six years old and like a little mother to Kelly and Karen.  She was so gentle, loving and careful with Kelly and Karen. Being a "big" sister and setting a good example was very important to Krystal!
 

Krystal loved Art Class!  She was a very talented artist.  Every year in elementary school and middle school, her teachers entered her art work in district and county contests and Krystal always won 1st or 2nd place in the art contests.  This aesthetic ability carried on into her home life and she was always drawing, coloring, painting, and modeling clay.  Once she entered high school, the academic load was so heavy that she was not able to take art classes.

Krystal entered a contest for the Orange Park Garden Club and she won the prize of a week at their summer camp.  She had her picture and an article about her wiining in the local newspaper.  She was so excited to go.  However, the first night she was at the camp, about 170 miles from home, she called home crying and was oh so homesick.  Of course we were frantic and drove to rescue her in the middle of the night.

L to R - Karen, Krystal, Kina, Kelly



Kina and Krystal were going to get on the Greyhound Bus in Jacksonville, Florida with their maternal Grandma and go to Crestview, Florida to spend a week with their maternal Great-Grandma.  Both Kina and Krystal had been looking forward to this trip with Grandma and were packed and excited about going.  They both adored and loved their Grandma, and time with her was like "heaven on earth."  Grandma, Kina, and Krystal's lugggage was put in the luggage department on the bus, and then they hugged their family, waved and got on the bus.  The bus doors closed.  Then the bus doors suddenly opened and Krystal bolted out of the bus and ran to Mom crying and hugging Mom and telling her that she could not leave home for so long.  Krystal was embarassed that she was not able to leave, and she said that she could not bear to leave us.  Mom held Krystal and reassured her that she did not have to go and that she should not be embarrassed, and that one day the time would feel right for her to leave us and go on a trip. To this day this story tuggs at Mom's heartstrings.

Wow! Time flies.  Now Krystal is entering Lakeside Junior High School.  She joined the Chorus and sung in many concerts.  Mom has to admit that the Chorus had uniforms that looked like blue-gray potato sacks.  Krystal hated to wear her uniform.  She said it was ugly.  She was right - the uniform was awful.  But Krystal looked gorgeous in anything she wore.

Grandma was taking Kina and Krystal on an airplane trip to California to visit Uncle Clay.  Kina and Krystal were so excited about their very first airplane ride and the opportunity to spend a week in California.  Being very protective, Mom sat Grandma, Kina, and Krystal down to have a "little talk" about the girl's safety.  Things like they had to be with Grandma at all times, not talk to strangers, wear their seat belts whenever in Clay's truck, and never ever sit in the back of Clay's truck.  All three promised to do all of the four above things and many other safety rules.  Well, Krystal got on that plane, waved bye and was ready for her huge airplane and California adventure.  Years later Kina and Krystal "confessed" and told Mom all the things Grandma let them do in California.  One almost gave Mom a heart attack!  Kina and Krystal both rode in the back of Clay's truck on curving, steep, mountain roads that dropped thousands of feet to the Pacific Ocean below.  Both Kina and Krystal were given fifty dollars each spending money for the trip.  Krystal used all her money to buy presents for her Dad, Mom, Karen, and Kelly.  She did not spend a penny on herself. We were touched by Krystal's selflessness and her tender heart that always wanted to give to others and not spend money on herself.  From the time she was a baby, she always cared more about the feelings of others than her own welfare. Krystal radiated love, caring, compassion, sharing, and selflessness.  What a jewel!

Krystal was 14 years old. She asked Mom if she could get a job. Mom told her that most places did not hire teenagers until they were 16 years old, but if she wanted to try to find a job that was ok, as long as she put her school work first.  Now Mom never thought Krystal could find anyone to hire her since she was only 14 years old.  Was Mom Wrong!  A few days later Krystal came beaming into the house and announced that she had a job at Rain Treat in the Food Garden at the Orange Park Mall.  Mom was stunned and speechless.  Krystal knew how to dress and present herself to get a job.  So she started working 20 -25 hours a week while going to school.  Krystal has always been great managing money, and she saved all her pay to save up for a down payment for a car when she turned 16 years old.  Krystal worked at Rain Treat for two years and had excellent evaluations, dependable attendance, and also kept up with her school work.  Krystal has always been a real 
"go-getter."

"Double Trouble" at Orange Park High School. 
Krystal and Sylvia - living like 
"Flower Children" from the 1960's!





 How fast time is flying!  Krystal is now entering Orange Park High School as a Freshman.  Kina is a Junior at Orange Park High, and Mom has been an English teacher there since August 1985. Krystal is developing a 1960's attitude and mindset.  Mom tells Krystal that she should have been a teenager in the sixties.  Krystal would have fit right in with peace demonstrations, animal rights, liberal views, rock concerts, sixties style clothing and music.  Krystal begins to love to read about Jim Morrison and listen to his music, and she also loves Steven King books.  The "natural" look is Krystal's style, and she rarely wore make-up, and loved to jump out of bed on a school day, pull her hair back into a pony tail, and go to school in her pajamas and house shoes. Believe it or not, a lot of the girls did this at OPHS. Oh well, school started promptly at 7:15 a.m., so who would want to spend valuable time dressing, puting on make-up, and doing time consuming hair styles when one could be sleeping? Anyway, Krystal continued to do her school work and work 20 to 25 hours 
per week at Publix.

Krystal was a Sophmore at Orange Park High School.  She was excited about running for Treasurer of the Sophmore Class.  She got up the morning that all the Sophmore candidates who were running for office were going to give a brief speech in front of the entire Sophmore Class in the Gym.  She carefully put on a business-like light beige suit and heels and had her prepared and practiced speech in her hand.  The Sophmore Assembly was scheduled for 10:00 a.m.  Krystal went to Mom's classroom at 9:30 and told Mom that she was not feeling well and that something was wrong, that she did not feel "like herself".  She began crying and said she could not run for office or give the speech.  Mom told her that was perfectly fine, and that Mom could just remove her name from the candidate list and not to worry about it.  Later that day her uneasiness increased and when Mom and Krystal got home from school Krystal really began to cry.  Dad was at Indian Princesses with Kelly, so Mom and Krystl went there and she told Dad how bad she felt and that she needed help.  We called the doctor and Mom drove Krystal to Charter Hospital for treatment.  Mom cried when she had to leave Krystal there.  Krystal was suffering from a major depression and had to remain in the hospital for three long months.  This was a very painful time for all of us.  We wanted to help Krystal feel better, but all we could do was visit her after work and on week-ends, send her cards, and pray the doctors could help our Krystal. This was also a painful, difficult time for Krystal.  She wanted to come home, but she knew how depressed she was and that she needed to be in the hospital until the doctor's could hopefully get the correct medicines to help ease her depression.  Years later we finally found out what caused this major depression that Krystal suffered.  Krystal's female hormones were completely out of balance and were throwing her into premature menapause.  Can you even imagine being just 15 years old and having such a major hormonal imbalance? Our hearts break that Krystal had to experience this major depressive episode.

Krystal turned 16 years old!  This was a tremendous milestone for her, because now she could finally buy that car that she had been working for and saving up for for two whole years.  She chose a used newer model of a black Toyota Celica.  What a sporty and cool car.  But Mom was worried, because it was a sporty car.  Mom would have liked to put Krystal in a big station wagon- what Krystal would call a "grocery getter". Those Mom protective genes were in overdrive, and Mom wanted a huge tank of a car to protect Krystal and Kina.  Everytime Krystal or Kina drove away in their cars, Mom would worry til both of them were safe at home again.

Krystal was now 16 years old and felt the desire to change jobs from Rain Treat and apply for a job at the Public Bakery.  She wanted to work in the Bakery, and not be a cashier.  Well Public policy is cashiers can be 16 years old, but Bakery and Deli employees must be 18 years old because of the danger and liability of working with sharp slicing and cutting machines.  Krystal had her heart set on working in the bakery, and she went to Public and turned in her application.  She followed up with return calls and visits to the managers for about 6 weeks, and her persistance paid off.  Krystal was evaluated as mature enough to work in the Bakery and she got the Bakery job.  Simply amazing and a testament to Krystal's people skills, stick-to-it-ness, determination, and ability to know what she wanted in life and then take the necessary steps to make her dream come through through planning, and hard work.  Krystal worked at Publix for two and a half years - all the way through high school.

Krystal's 18th Birthday Dinner at Olive Garden with Mom and Dad.




Turning 18 years old was a HUGE deal to Krystal.  Now she was legally an adult.  What a rite of passage for her!

Krystal graduated from Orange Park High School in June 1992.  Wow!  What a milestone for her.








Krystal's High School Graduation Picture.  Krystal has always loved pink roses. What a beauty with a bright future ahead of her. 






Krystal's High School Cap and Gown Picture. Go class of '92!  We are beaming over her accomplishment.  Go Krystal! 

Krystal becomes Aunt Krystal.  On February 3, 1994, Kina gave birth to Kari Gabrielle Rewis.  Krystal was ecastic and loves Kari so very much. 

Krystal becomes Aunt Krystal again!  Kina gave birth to Cody Rewis on February 12, 1997.  Krystal is ecastic about having a nephew. Krystal loves and adores Cody!  Krystal lovingly nicknames Cody -"Cowboy Cody".  Look at the cute cowboy suit Cody is wearing!

Krystal Thelma Long and Joe Duss got married at Ottis Castle by the ocean in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.  What a glorious, loving, wonderful day!  Enjoy the pictures of Mr. and Mrs. Joe Duss with family and friends. Krystal was a stunningly beautiful bride!  Joe was an incredibaly handsome groom.  What a handsome couple Krystal and Joe make!









Ottis Castle where Krystal and Joe were married by the sea.





Krystal and Joe.
What a handsome couple!




Gorgeous Bride Krystal!





Stunningly Beautiful Bride Krystal










Proud Father of the Bride, Glenn, with Krystal and Joe.





"Little Sisters"- Kelly (left) and Karen (right) with Krystal and Joe





(Left to right) Kelly, Glenn,Krystal, Joe, Patricia, and Greg.




Proud Maternal Granddad with Krystal!





Proud Paternal Mom, Patricia, pinning flower on Maternal Granddad who is overcome with tears of joy .





"Best Friends Forever"
Krystal and Risa





Krystal and Ryan.
How Krystal loves Ryan!

Karen turns 21 and is a legal adult!  Krystal and Joe took Karen out to celebrate this monumental occasion. What a fun memory! 

Krystal became Aunt Krystal for the third time.  Karen gave birth to Shawn Detrall Lanier on July 15, 1999.  Krystal was ecastic and delighted to have a new nephew, Detrall. Notice in the picture both Detrall and Krystal's body language.  They are beaming with love and caring for each other!

Krystal with Kelly at Kelly's Bridal Shower.  Hey, what are "Big Sisters" for if not to help "Little Sisters" by gingerly placing and tying a beautiful, stylish paper-plate hat decorated with colorful bows and ribbons from the Bridal Shower Gifts? We laughed til we could hardly catch our breath, and our sides hurt.  Look at the embarrassment on Kelly's face and the pure joy, pride and glee on Krystal's face!

September 16, 2000
Kelly and Jon's Wedding Day!
This Day was one of life's truly magical days that are "Heaven on Earth!"











What a glorious day! L to R - Krystal, Don, Beautiful Bride Kelly, Handsome Groom Jon, Mom, and Karen.










Sisters Forever!  L to R - Karen, Beautiful Bride Kelly, and Krystal. 




Glowing "Big Sister" Bridesmaid Krystal.

Krystal became Aunt Krystal for a fourth time!  Kelly gave birth to Tyler Evan Duke on September 29, 2001. Krystal was delighted and joyful to have Tyler as her nephew.  In this picture, Krystal is on the back row, in the far right.  She is holding her precious Tyler.  Look at the smile on Krystal's face and how lovingly she is snuggling Tyler. Behind Krystal is Joe.  To the left of Krystal is Mom, then Kelly.  On the bottom row is Detrall, Karen and Steven. How sweet it is to spend time together!

Krystal and Mom Camping.

Twin Sons!!!!







     






    


























Daniel John Duss Infant Picture. 
Mommy and Daddy's precious first born twin!









Andrew Glenn Duss Infant Picture.
 Mommy and Daddy's precious second born twin.



Joe and Krystal had tried for six years to have a child, and then Krystal became pregnant with twins! Joe and Krystal and their families and friends were so estatic and happy! When Krystal gave birth to their twins (Andrew and Daniel) on December 3, 2002, her dream had finally came true... she was now a mother.  More than anything else in the world, Krystal wanted to be a Mommy.  

Visit to Kelly, Jon and Tyler's home in Atlanta Georgia. 
Mom, Don, Krystal, Joe, Daniel and Andrew all visited Kelly, Jon and Tyler in Atlanta.  What precious time together.








Mommy feeding Daniel, 
and Daddy feeding Andrew.









Fun at the park. 
Krystal and Mom pushing Andrew on the swing while Kelly cheers us on.






Oh, what fun! Grandma pushing Tyler, 
and Granddad pushing Daniel (left)
and Andrew (right).

What wonderful, loving and devoted parents Mommy and Daddy are! This picture was taken on October 14, 2003.  We were at the Columbia Restaurant 
in St. Augustine, Florida 
celebrating Jo Ann's (Krystal's Mom) Birthday. What a precious memory!











Krystal had an artist make a very special gift for Mom on Mom's Birthday.  A gorgeous hand-blown glass and metal parrot. Krystal asked Mom to open the gift at the Birthday Dinner.  Mom was brought to tears because her sweet Krystal, who was so very busy being such a wonderful Mommy to Daniel and Andrew, had somehow made the time to be so generous and thoughtful and to have a parrot made for Mom. (Everyone knows Mom has an Amazon Parrot, Nancy, and Mom is absolutely entralled with anything dealing with parrots.) This picture shows Mom opening this treasured parrot gift. Look at the glitter in Krystal's eyes and the smile on her face as she watches Mom admire the parrot!  Never could Mom have ever ever envisioned that this would be the last time she would celebrate her Birthday with Krystal.  The parrot is in Mom's living room and Mom sees it everyday and thinks of Krystal and this jewel of a memory.
 But Mom doesn't just want the memory,
 she wants Krystal!

Krystal became Aunt Krystal for the fifth time! Steven, Krystal, and Mom were with Karen on November 4, 2003, 
when Karen gave birth to Steven Dontae Lanier.  Look at the joy and happiness in Karen, Steven, Krystal and Mom's eyes that sweet Dontae was born!
 And look at Dontae's gorgeous face.








This picture touches Mom's heart because it shows Krystal's loving, compassionate nature.  After Dontae was born, Detrall came into the room.  Krystal took Detrall and sat down with Detrall and Dontae and introduced Detrall to his new baby brother, Dontae.  Look at the kindness, love and gratitude in Krystal's body language and her facial expression. This is a moment in time that is precious and treasured beyond worldly goods or even words.  Priceless!

L to R - Daniel, Daddy, Mommy, Andrew
November 2003

                 

 

                   





Three days before Krystal was killed by a drunk driver, she went all out and had a grand celebration for Daniel and Andrew's 1st Birthday Party.  It was a magical day. These are treasured pictures that where taken on the Birthday Party Day with Daddy, Mommy, Daniel, and Andrew celebrating and rejoicing in their joy over the boy's first birthday with family and friends.  None of us could have ever imagined that in only 3 days our beloved Krystal would be dead.  We would have moved heaven and earth to save her.


























      

Krystal's Memorial Bench at
Mission Of Nombre De Dios
Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche
in St. Augustine, Florida.
We are not Catholic, but Mom chose
 this location for its natural beauty 
and sacred atmosphere.
www.missionandshrine.org 



Krystal's Bench is located infront of
 The Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche.



"Beloved Wife, Mother,
Daughter And Sister
Mar. 5 - Dec. 10, 2003
To Know Her Was To  Love Her 
Krystal Long Duss"





On December 9, 2003,  Daniel and Andrew developed flu-like symptoms.  Since their regular doctor's office had closed for the day, Krystal called their answering service and was told to take the boys to the Emergency Room at Baptist Hospital.  So Krystal and Joe took Daniel and Andrew to the Emergency Room.  When they arrived, Krystal realized that the Emergency Room was over flowing with "sick" people who were coughing and sneezing all over the place.  Krystal knew Daniel and Andrew were already sick, but being such a loving, protective Mom she did not want her boys exposed to any more germs.  So for the five hours it took before the doctor finally saw the boys, Krystal stayed in the minivan with Daniel and Andrew, while Joe waited in the Emergency Room to hear when the boys were called back to see the doctor.  What wonderful, devoted, loving parents!! After Daniel and Andrew finally saw the doctor and got medicine, it was around 11:50 pm, and the Duss family got into their minivan and drove down Beach Blvd. to go home.  Joe and Krystal's minivan was going east on Beach Blvd. in Jacksonville, Florida at about 35 miles an hour, in a 40 miles an hour speed area, when a west bound car driven by a drunk driver and going between 80 to 100 miles an hour slammed into the Duss's family minivan. OUR BELOVED KRYSTAL WAS KILLED! 


 


The State of Florida placed 
this "Drive Safely" sign with 
Krystal's name at the crash site, 
which is just east of the intersection of Beach Boulevard and University Boulevard in Jacksonville, Florida, USA. 
Mom and Don maintain the site 
with a picture of Krystal, 
description of what happened,
 and a large wreath of silk flowers. 
Mom has a difficult time going to the site 
but believes it is important to keep 
Krystal's legacy and memory alive.



The Broken Chain



We little knew that morning that God
Was going to call your name.
In life we loved you dearly,
In death we do the same.
It broke our hearts to lose you,
You did not go alone;
For part of us went with you,
The day God called you home.
You left us peaceful memories,
Your love is still our guide;
And though we can not see you,
You are always at our side.
Our family chain is broken,
And nothing seems the same; 
But as God calls us one by one, 
The chain will link again.
Unknown Author