Date of Birth:
Monday, January 23, 1928
Date of Death:
Sunday, November 5, 2023
Age:
95 years old

Crystal B. Day

Crystal B. Day was born on January 23, 1928, at St. Marys Hospital in Rochester, MN to John and Beaulah Miller. She was the youngest of seven children – two brothers, John and Paul, and four sisters, Georgia Mae, Frances, Fern, and Florence (Midge). She was raised in Rochester and attended Hawthorne and Rochester High School.

On June 20, 1944, she married Melvin (Jack) Day in Norfolk VA where he was stationed in the Navy. Shortly after, he shipped out to serve in WWII.

Jack and Crystal were blessed with 7 children. Jack was a Rochester City firefighter and Crystal was a stay-at-home mom. She was quite busy during those years cleaning, washing, ironing, and sewing, but her favorite “job” was cooking and baking. There was always a delicious home cooked meal for supper, and it was never complete without dessert – mom was a great cook and she also loved to bake! During this time, she was also very active in her Rosary group at St. Pius Catholic Church.

Our yearly vacations were always the same, full of excitement and anticipation. Dad would take a week off from work and we would all pile into a car (vans weren’t as popular back in the 50s and 60s). The destination was either Brainerd or Bemidji area, for a week spent on a lake in a cabin, where we all enjoyed fishing, boating, and usually included one night going to a restaurant for supper – an otherwise unheard-of luxury in the Day household!

In later years when most of the kids had grown and moved out, Crystal and Jack decided to purchase a travel trailer where they enjoyed many summers near the Ponderosa campground and then at a campground near Garrison, MN. They also took their trailer on winter trips to Florida and Texas.

They celebrated their 55^th wedding anniversary by flying to Alaska, renting a motorhome, and spending a month touring the state, a trip that was many years in the making and so enjoyed by both of them. Dad passed away that December of 1999.

In the following years, Crystal enjoyed several wonderful trips with her daughters – cruises that took her to the East Coast, the West Coast, Mexico, the Caribbean, along with many road trips where we would spend time together making wonderful memories.

Crystal was preceded in death by her parents, her loving aunt Hattie, her husband, her siblings, and three of her sons, Thomas, Dennis, and Jonathan. She is survived by her son Robert of Key Largo FL, and daughters, Susan (Ricky Cross) of Coconut Creek FL, Nancy (Jim Vold), and Teresa (Wally Bertschinger) both of Rochester MN; 10 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren.

Anyone who knew Crystal will remember how she would smile and give you her trademark “wink” whenever she greeted you. She was a beautiful person with a kind heart, and she will be missed by all who loved her. Blessed be her memory.

The funeral service will be held at 12:00 p.m. Monday, November 20, 2023 in the River Park Chapel at Macken Funeral Home with Fr. James Kunz officiating. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service on Monday. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery in Rochester.

Online condolences are welcome at www.mackenfuneralhome.com