White Funeral Home
1315 Main Street
Jesup, Iowa 50648

ATKINS – Crystal Lynn Fisher, 66, of Atkins, IA passed away, November 10, 2023, in the comfort of her home after a courageous battle with cancer.

Family and friends are invited to gather and celebrate Crystal's life on Tuesday, November 21, 2023, at First Presbyterian Church in Jesup. A visitation will be held from 12:30-2:30 and celebration of life to follow at 3:00, with Pastor Garry Gromley officiating. The celebration of life will be streamed on Facebook (please follow First Presbyterian Church of Jesup’s Facebook page for access). A private family burial will take place at Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Blairstown at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the family: Eugene Fisher, 609 Deer Ridge Dr, Atkins, Iowa 52206.
Condolences and memories of Crystal can be left online at: www.white-mthope.com.

Crystal was born August 16, 1957, to Alan and Joyce (Emme) Wright in Waterloo, IA. She was always a social child who loved to visit her grandparents’ houses. She knew from an early age that helping others was her calling. After graduating in 1975 from Jesup High School, she attended Iowa Wesleyan College to further her studies in becoming a special education teacher. If you have ever heard any stories from her times at Iowa Wesleyan, you will know that Crystal was as determined as she was fun! It was at Iowa Wesleyan that she found great friends and met the love of her life, Gene Fisher.

Crystal and Gene were united in marriage on June 6, 1981. They were blessed with a son, Ryan, and he quickly became their greatest pride.  Crystal and Gene were extremely proud of Ryan and supported him through his many phases in life. Whatever Ryan was interested in, Crystal and Gene became interested in it too. Ryan later married his wife, Kim (Bridgewater) and together they added three grandsons (Aidan, Brooks, and Dierks) to the family. Ryan was never replaced as Crystal’s pride and joy, but there was another level of joy when it came to being a grandma. Her grandsons spent many days at her house, just like she did growing up with her grandparents. They enjoyed crafting, beating Crystal in Uno, and building lego sets. Crystal always made time for her boys.

Crystal was an educator by trade. She began her teaching career as a special education teacher in the Columbus Junction School District. Gene’s employment took them to Cedar Rapids in 1984 and Crystal found her home, teaching special education in the Cedar Rapids Community School District, where she taught in various buildings. In 2016 Crystal retired from education, but she never stopped teaching. She wanted to be active in her grandson’s schools, so Crystal started as a substitute associate and volunteer for the Benton Community School District. Her favorite memory of this time was shopping with each of her grandsons at the Benton Community PTO Christmas Store. There are many stories she told of the special friendships she made with her students, their families, and her colleagues. Many of her colleagues continued to make memories with Crystal long after her retirement.

Crystal is survived by her husband of 42 years, Gene. Their son Ryan (Kim) of Van Horne; grandsons Aidan, Brooks, and Dierks; parents Alan and Joyce Wright of Jesup, brother Craig (Cari) of Jesup; father in-law, Gary Fisher of Cedar Rapids; in-laws Mike (Jean) Fisher of Fort Myers, Florida, Suzi (Mike) Shepherd of Wayland; and many nieces and nephews who she loved dearly.

She was preceded in death by her grandparents Fred and Velma “Rosie” Emme, Chet and Norma Wright, and mother in-law Elly Fiala.

Crystal loved her family and friends and was known for her timely cards that she mailed for birthdays, anniversaries, and any milestone in between. She had an organized system for everything, including her card box that she jokingly left to her nephew, Chase. Crystal and Gene set a challenge for themselves in retirement to visit all 63 national parks. Gene will fulfill this challenge and finish visiting the final 11 parks, and we know Crystal will be there in spirit.

The family would like to express their deep appreciation to the staff at Hall-Perrine Cancer Center and special appreciation to Dr. Deb Wilbur for her compassion throughout Crystal’s journey.

White Funeral Home, Jesup, IA, is assisting the family.