Crystal Kay Pierre

Crystal was born Crystal Kay Hibbs on February 17, 1950, in Denver, Colorado, to A. Owen and Dorothy Hibbs. She grew up in Colorado with her older sister, Rita, and younger sister, Holly, and Colorado remained home throughout her life.

From an early age, Crystal loved dance, music, art, and the outdoors. She studied ballet as a girl, with her mother helping make her dance costumes, and later continued that love of movement through belly dancing and performances with her troupe. She was athletic and adventurous as well, enjoying skiing, ice skating, hiking, and volunteering with the National Ski Patrol.

Crystal attended nursing school in Greeley and became a registered nurse, beginning a career devoted to caring for others. Over the years she worked in hospitals, nursing homes, home health care, and later remote health-care work from home. She spent an important part of her career at Bonell Good Samaritan Center in Greeley, where she served in leadership and helped train CNAs and other caregivers. She was especially proud of her nursing career and of helping others learn how to care for the elderly with compassion and skill.

Of all the roles Crystal held, however, none meant more to her than being a mother.

She raised her sons, Troy and Kelly, with fierce devotion. Crystal could be protective-she sometimes described herself as a "momma bear"-but she also had a remarkable ability to see the best in the people she loved. She supported her sons through difficult times without judgment, encouraged their interests, and gave them room to become themselves.

Her home was always home. When life went wrong, there was somewhere to return to. Crystal listened, helped, and found ways to support the people she loved. She taught through example that love did not require perfection.

She was also fun.

Crystal embraced her sons' music and interests in a way that made her memorable to their friends. She encouraged Troy and Kelly to play instruments, attended their performances, and went to concerts with them, including Metallica and Nine Inch Nails. Her own musical tastes ranged widely, from Dean Martin and the Bee Gees to beloved musicals such as Camelot, The Sound of Music, The King and I, South Pacific, and The Phantom of the Opera.

Music could reach her even late in life. The Bee Gees could still make her perk up and smile, while John Denver's "Sunshine on My Shoulders" remained especially meaningful because it was a song she sang to Troy when he was little.

Crystal loved to laugh and could be wonderfully silly. Kelly remembered watching Saturday Night Live with her and laughing together at Dana Carvey impersonations. Holly remembered Crystal turning childhood games into elaborate adventures, including playing sea-lion trainer with her younger sister and transforming a bunk bed into a Wild West stagecoach while babysitting.

That playful spirit stayed with her throughout her life. She might hula dance with her granddaughters at a birthday party or join in at a campground country dance. If there was music, laughter, dancing, or something fun happening, Crystal was likely to participate rather than watch from the sidelines.

As Lori described her, Crystal was "a little bit hippie and a little bit rock and roll, all wrapped up in a ballerina."

Crystal welcomed Lori into the family and became especially close to her in later years. She also embraced Lori's daughters, Angel and Mikayla, as her own granddaughters. To them, she became "Granzi." There was no distinction in Crystal's heart about how they entered her family. She attended birthdays, school events, family gatherings, performances, camping trips, and countless ordinary moments. She showed her love by being present.

Family was at the center of Crystal's life. She made Christmas magical for Troy and Kelly when they were children, even during years when money may not have been plentiful. She prepared holiday meals, remembered the family pets at Christmas, and helped care for her own parents as they grew older.

Crystal loved animals deeply and supported organizations that cared for them, including animal shelters and wildlife causes. Over the years she cared for many animals of her own, including her beloved cat Boo, and had particular compassion for animals that were mistreated or in need.

She also found joy in the natural world. Crystal loved the Colorado mountains, camping, hiking, stargazing, flowers, and quiet time outdoors. Her mountain property became a favorite place for family escapes. During difficult times, sometimes comfort meant little more than breakfast at Cracker Barrel followed by a drive to the mountains to get away from everything for a while.

Crystal had also traveled widely when she was younger, including trips to Europe, Hawaii, and Egypt. Later in life, she often felt she had already seen much of the world and was content being close to family and the places she loved in Colorado.

Creativity ran throughout her life. Crystal drew caricatures of family members, painted, created sculptures, worked with crafts, and became especially interested in crystals, stones, and resin art. In later years she created and sold handmade pieces through her Etsy shop, Crystal's Zen Zone, including resin pyramids and pendant necklaces.

She was meticulous about the things she cared about. Holly remembered her as a perfectionist who believed in doing things carefully and thoroughly, whether in her nursing career, her artwork, or everyday life.

Crystal was preceded in death by her parents, A. Owen and Dorothy Hibbs, and her sister Rita Ferguson.

She is survived by her sons, Troy Bryan and his wife Lori, and Kelly Bryan; her beloved granddaughters Angel and Mikayla, who knew her as Granzi; her sister Holly Muyskens and her husband Paul; and extended family who loved her dearly.

A memorial service celebrating Crystal’s life will be held on Friday, October 30, 2026, at 2:00 PM. A reception will follow.

Crystal will be remembered as a loving mother, sister, grandmother, nurse, artist, animal lover, dancer, and friend. She was intelligent, independent, protective, creative, joyful, and sometimes wonderfully silly.

She taught her family to care for one another, celebrate the good times, stand together through the difficult ones, laugh often, and make memories while there was still time.

Most of all, she gave the people she loved something lasting: the knowledge that they could always be themselves and still have a place to come home to.