Crystine D. Good

Crystine Good, born Crystine Eppard, was born in Stanley, Virginia. In 1936 when she was 7 years old, she moved into the farmhouse at 6452 Eppard Street. The farmhouse, built in 1920, is the oldest dwelling in the Old Sleepy Hollow neighborhood. However, in those early days, it had a Rural Route address on Sleepy Hollow Road, which fronted the house’s yard and surrounding farmland.

Crystine’s girlhood memories are of Sleepy Hollow Road as a two-lane dirt road, then a gravel road; walking to the Falls Church school located near the intersection of today’s Cherry Street and Hillwood Avenue; Hazel’s Dairy across the street; horses stabled in a big barn next to the current location of Sleepy Hollow Elementary School; and traveling by early bus service to the old Woodward & Lothrop department store’s flagship location in downtown Washington, D.C., where she worked for a time.

Following the platting of the Sleepy Hollow neighborhood in the 1940s, the Eppard family property was subdivided into 12 individual lots along either side of the new, namesake Eppard Street which then terminated at Sleepy Hollow Road. The original block of Eppard Street was added to the Old Sleepy Hollow neighborhood in 1951.

Crystine married Galen Good, who built all five of Eppard Street’s original odd-numbered homes, plus 3120 Sleepy Hollow road. Galen and Crystine moved to their new home across from the Eppard farmhouse, where they raised their children Lana, Terry, and Susan. Crystine and her family recollect happy memories of the Hollow’s Halloween Parades and the rural character of the neighborhood for their 1950s-60s childhoods of roaming safely for miles.

When the last of her children reached school age, Crystine became a school bus driver for the Fairfax County Public Schools. She loved her job driving high school, intermediate, and elementary routes including kindergarten. She also took many field trips. As in all aspects of her life she was always ready to help anyone who needed it. She drove for 28 years before she retired; never missed a day of work; including installing chains on the bus tires (with a little help from husband Galen) during snowy weather.

All who knew her would attest to her kindness, willingness to help others, and positive personality.

Crystine loved gardening, caring for her plants and flowers, mowing the yard, and always made sure the birds were well fed. She played tennis, went shopping and had lunch with her daughters regularly. She played the piano and could read and play any sheet music! A wonder to her youngest daughter who did not inherit her musical talents.

When the grandkids arrived, she was so happy and in her element! She would take them on outings to the park and teach them about plants and nature. She was always patient and kind and never had a harsh word.

She enjoyed her neighbors, and they her. She attended their regular gatherings that rotated between houses. She also supported her community by performing neighborhood watch and collecting for the American Cancer Society.

In the most recent years, Crystine enjoyed quiet strolls on Eppard Street alongside old friends, family and new generations of dog-walking, jogging, and child/grand-childrearing neighbors. Crystine’s neighbors fondly remember her as a treasure, a link to the evolution the Old Sleepy Hollow neighborhood and environs from farmland to rural suburb.

A celebration of life visitation for Crystine will be held Friday, August 30, 2024 from 10:30 AM to 12:45 PM at Murphy Funeral Home, 1102 West Broad Street, Falls Church, VA 22046. A celebration of life funeral service will occur Friday, August 30, 2024 from 12:45 PM to 1:30 PM, 1102 West Broad Street, Falls Church, VA 22046. An interment will occur Friday, August 30, 2024 from 2:00 PM to 2:15 PM at National Funeral Home & National Memorial Park, 7482 Lee Hwy, Falls Church, VA 22042.