Crystal Anne Sexton, age 85, was born to Dorothy Pearl (Cherry) Moore and Eugene Ray Moore on September 9, 1940, in Kansas City, Missouri. She peacefully passed away in her home on July 25, 2026, surrounded by her family. 

Crystal grew up on the east side of Kansas City, Missouri at 2204 Drury in a cozy and loving home with her parents, her Grandma Cherry, and her brother, Robert. Her girlhood friend and she loved to play paper dolls and have tea parties with her favorite doll, Sweetie Pie. She met Michael Stanley Sexton in the 8th grade during the age of wide poodle skirts and crinoline. He noticed her swishing down the hallway and approached her saying, “Hey, baby! How about a date!" Crystal did not answer. Rather, she turned up her nose and swished away. At home she told her parents about that "nasty boy" who asked her out on a date. 

By the time they were juniors at East High School, Crystal began dating Mike. She was the beautiful, refined preacher's daughter and he was the rough and tumble street kid and jokester--a handsome star football player for the high school, which definitely caught Crystal's attention, even though she had no interest whatsoever in football-or any sports, for that matter. They continued to date through high school and went on to attend college at CMSU in Warrensburg. Crystal didn't like college or being away from home and returned to her parents after the first semester. Mike finished his first year but couldn't defer his draft in the Navy for a second time. He proposed marriage in June, before he had to leave for boot camp, and they made plans for a September wedding during his two-week leave after boot camp. They married on September 23, 1959, at Jackson Avenue Christian Church and her father performed the ceremony-but Mike nearly missed the wedding because, after boot camp he had not received his assignment and wasn't allowed to leave the base for his two-week leave around which the wedding had been planned. Crystal's dad intervened-he knew someone who knew someone who knew THE someone (a 4-star admiral) who pulled Mike into the office, gave him his new assignment, then loaded him on a plane for Kansas City. Mike arrived just in time. As the two newlyweds were boarding the plane to fly back to base, Crystal suddenly remembered she didn't know how to cook or what to serve Mike for dinner and turned to her mother and said, "Quick, Mom! I need to feed Mike dinner. Give me some recipes." Her mother chuckled and said, "It's too late for that, Crystal Anne!" Peanut butter sandwiches were their mainstay meal that first year of marriage, but Betty Crocker Cookbook became Crystal's best teacher, and she eventually became a very good cook-most notably her homemade macaroni and cheese casserole. 

While in California, Crystal got pregnant and became even more homesick. Around 7 months pregnant, Crystal returned to Kansas City without Mike and gave birth to their son, Michael Eugene. Mike joined his young family 6 months later when he'd been released from the Navy. Three years after that Kimberly Denise was born. In 1967, the family moved to the Northland. But Crystal didn't feel as though their family was complete. Eleven years later, Melanie Jean arrived and filled that void. Mike and Crystal were married for 66 years.

Crystal loved arts and crafts; and when Michael and Kimberly were young, she attended Tole Painting classes. She began painting with oils and later moved to watercolors. She began painting with oils and later moved to watercolors. She loved nature, and she'd take her young children outside to collect leaves and press them into books. Her children can't remember a time when she wasn't making floral arrangements or potpourri out of her natural surroundings. She also enjoyed decoupage. She'd take old hymn books and tear out pages, burn the edges, and decoupage them to plaques that she'd had Mike rout the edges of wood for her. She worked endlessly to share her love of art with her children and grandchildren. She eventually taught art to women in her basement and later to children at Second Creek Christian School, then gave extra art lessons to children at her kitchen table. An art award in her name is still given to students at Northland Christian Schools, and two of her grandchildren, Abigail and Christian have received it. 

Crystal loved decorating and she passed that love onto her daughter,  daughter-in-law, and granddaughters. Crystal decorated her home with antique furniture, porcelain, and china, and she shared that love of antiques with Mike. They enjoyed antiquing together. One of her china collections was that of tea pots and teacups and saucers, because Crystal was a social person and loved having women over for tea. She mostly enjoyed throwing together a tea party for her granddaughters and their dolls and stuffed animals, which built relationships that the granddaughters will forever cherish. Country Living and Victoria magazines were her favorite subscriptions, and Hobby Lobby was her favorite store.

Crystal's heart belonged to the Lord Jesus Christ, whom she embraced as her Savior at just nine years old. Her devotion was a beautiful journey of the Lord's love and encouragement. While she was not an avid reader, Crystal cherished the Word of God and her time of fellowship with her Lord and Savior. She began to scribble what He said to her, and soon she started hearing melodies that matched the words. Her son Michael and daughter-in-law Yvonne sang just one such song to each other at their wedding. Crystal was also a dedicated prayer warrior, especially for her family! Scribblings of her prayers on little sheets of paper sat on the end of the peninsula in her kitchen so she could touch the sheet and pray as she passed by it. But the true gift the Lord gave Crystal was to see the invisible person and to recognize each one's worth even when they couldn't see it in themselves. THAT was her real gift! It was her superpower!

Crystal was preceded in death by her parents, Eugene and Dorothy Moore, and her brother, Robert. She was also preceded in death by her mother-in-law, Roxie Brown, and sister-in-law, Jean Clay.

She is survived by her husband, Michael, of Kansas City, Missouri; by her three children, Michael (Yvonne) of Smithville, Missouri, Kimberly Johnson (Dywayne) of Kansas City, Missouri, and Melanie Baltzell (Timothy) of Warsaw, Missouri; and by her six grandchildren, Caleb Sexton of Gladstone, Missouri, Abigail Johnson of Kansas City, Missouri, Bethany Burton (Brandon) of Overland Park, Kansas, Henna Pearl Ash (David) of Gladstone, Missouri, Christian Johnson of Kansas City, Missouri, and Callie Monley (Sean) of Gladstone, Missouri; and by seven great grandchildren-Isaac, Adelynn, Willow and Ivy, Maximus, Dorothy, and Titus. She is also survived by her sister-in-law, Cheri Moore of Kansas City, Missouri and many nieces and nephews, and great-nieces and great-nephews.

The family feels blessed to have been embraced all these years by such a loving, welcoming, praying, and creative wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and aunt. And we are grateful to our family, friends, and neighbors for their support as we celebrate Crystal's homegoing.

Her services will be held at Terrace Park Funeral Home and Cemetery, 801 NW 108th St., Kansas City, Missouri 64155, on Saturday, August 1st with visitation beginning at 1:00pm, funeral service at 2:00pm and burial following. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Northland Christian School.