Ms. Crystal Marie Cravens, 39, of Elkhart, passed away peacefully on Thursday, Dec. 29, 2022 at 1:24 pm at the St. Vincent Heart Center of Indiana in Indianapolis. She had been in ill health for some time. She was born in South Bend on April 10, 1983 to the late Ed Cravens and Diane (Dylewski) Cravens Denman, who survives Crystal and resides in South Bend.

Also surviving is her son Mason J. Gushwa, who resides in Elkhart with his father Jason Gushwa, who was Crystal's friend and former significant other, as well as her daughter Kai Cravens, who was living at home with Crystal at the time of her passing. She also has two brothers, Ted and Jeff Cravens, who live in the Michiana area as well, and a half-sister Jeanice Darling. Finally, she is survived by a loving host of extended family, friends and neighbors, including a nephew, Anthony Cravens of Elkhart; an uncle, Tim Kiel of Elkhart; and an aunt, Victoria Schmidtendorff of Edwardsburg, Michigan. Besides her dad, Ed, Crystal is preceded in death by a sister, Corrie Cravens.

In accordance with her wishes, no immediate services have been scheduled and cremation has taken place. Burial will follow at some point in the future, and updates in Crystal's services will be posted here on her obituary page.

Crystal worked both in the restaurant business and in manufacturing during her lifetime but had retired due to her health issues. She was an ardent fan of muscle cars and classic, big-bodied luxury cars; and had done some modeling in her younger years at several of the area's car shows and swap meets. In more recent days, Crystal was limited because of her health but still managed to get outside to grow flowers and tend to her garden. She never considered herself a quitter and found strength in her children and in her family, whom she loved very, very much. She had a huge heart, and she found peace in the fact that she would do most anything for someone in need.

As with anyone suffering from a chronic illness, many of Crystal's days were shrouded in darkness and uncertainty. Many days saw Crystal introspectively sitting by a window, using nature's beautiful canvas to paint delicate, soothing gossamer images in her mind. While some would associate daydreaming as being idle and unproductive, it afforded Crystal the perfect chance to escape her imperfect reality and to travel to anywhere she wanted, especially the dark, lush forests of the old English countryside, a mystical world rife with fairies, gnomes, nymphs and elves. Despite the fact that Crystal faced alot of challenges in her lifetime, she will never, ever be remembered as a "quitter".

Please visit the funeral home's website and Crystal's obituary page to leave condolences and memories.