Crystel Steward

Precious Memories

Crystel Shaunda Steward

As beautiful as a rose to see was her life, she lived so gracefully. She made things precious by her touch; her selfless love lives on in each of us. The petals of her life fell one by one, each a gift of her heart till there were none. Yet her radiance blooms once again in fields of glory with no end.

Born September 25, 1959, a Fitzsimmons Army Medical Hospital in Aurora, Colorado., Crystel Shaunda Steward was the second-eldest child of Madeline and Earl Steward.

As a child, Crystel traveled with her family across the U.S. The family moved to Bitburg, Germany, when Crystel was 10 years old, and traveled to many countries, including France, Luxembourg, Italy, Spain and The Netherlands.

In 1974, the Stewards returned to Denver. An avid reader who excelled in English and literature, Crystel attended Hill Jr. High School and George Washington High School.

Crystel was also a member of the George Washington pep squad where she met Cathy (Livingston) Barnwell, the young woman who would become her lifelong friend and closest confidant.

Following her 1977 graduation from George Washington, Crystel spent two years at the University of Colorado in Boulder. There, she met and married a fellow student, Arn Phillip Jackson. The couple raised two children, Christian Alexander and Christy Marie.

Crystel was preceded in death by her father, Earl Steward Jr., (1996) and her grandson, Baby Israel Zion Gerald Steward (2021).

Crystel is survived and celebrated by her mother, Madeline Steward and her stepfather, Charles Curley; son, Christian Alexander Steward; daughter, Christy Marie Jackson; brothers, Earl Steward III , Marc Kevin Steward (Juliet), and Alphonso L. Steward (Shannon); and sister, Vernethia Angela Kirksey. Other survivors include stepbrother, Christopher Curley; and daughter-in-law, Monique Steward. Crystel will also be missed by her beloved grandchildren, Zaylah and Belal Steward; nieces, Sophie, Alicia, Jordyn, and Bethany Steward; nephews, Bradley and Marcus Steward, Kelvin Kirksey; and great nephew, Beau Steward.