Crystal Gail Layton

In 1993, she graduated high school, married my father, Eddie Barnett, and had me- her only child all in the same year. She and Eddie were married for 23 years- together for 26 years. They had a whirlwind relationship and marriage that progressed quickly, being young and in love. At just 18, her world was turned upside down when she received the news that her child had special needs. Her daughter was born premature and was born with Cerebral Palsy. Little did she know, that God makes no mistakes. He was preparing her to really make a difference in this world- through her career!

Her passion was definitely for children- and especially her special needs “angel babies”. She worked for Morgan County Schools for 23 1/2 years. 17 of those years she spent working at Sparkman Elementary with special needs children in the classroom as well as being a special needs bus driver. No doubt about it, she had the deepest sense of understanding and compassion for them that I’ve ever seen. She was crowned the “potty whisperer” by her coworkers. *(A lot of special needs children have great difficulty with potty training.) It was said by many of her colleagues that she had the patience of a saint, and that was true. Many days during the school year, if you couldn’t find her, she would be “in her office” (the bathroom 😂) Throughout her career, she cared for and loved so many of her kids- many of who have now passed on. I have no doubt that she is continuing to care for them in Heaven.

In 2018, she married her second husband, Allen Fuller, who she was married to for almost 4 years when she passed. She was a wonderful wife to him and a great step-mother to Allen’s daughter, Susan.

In May 2020, she was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer. She fought her battle hard with perseverance and hopefulness, never losing faith or giving up. She KNEW no matter what, she would be okay. Whether she won her battle or not, God had a plan and purpose for her. After a long, hard journey, she unfortunately lost her battle to ovarian cancer on March 13, 2022, just 3 months before her 47th birthday.

She never met a stranger and was so bubbly and full of love and life. Her laugh and smile were infectious and she lit up every room she entered. She made such a profound impact in and on so many people’s lives and hearts, even though oftentimes she didn’t think so. She was so passionate about helping others. She would do anything for anyone, and oftentimes put herself and her needs last. She was also incredibly intelligent, but didn’t always believe it.

She had many passions- the biggest being the outdoors. She loved spending as much time as she could outside, whether it be mowing the grass, messing around in the flower beds, or fishing and hunting. Outdoors was her solace- where she said she could just get away and spend time with God. Her ultimate happy place though was the beach!

She loved collecting things- anything from ceramic plates to rocks and seashells to dead insects 😅 She was also very crafty and loved to do diamond art projects and make DIY decor. She also loved to color. She owned SO many coloring books! She loved to write, mostly poems and letters though she didn’t do it often later in life. She said “sometimes when my brain is a mess, I can convey my thoughts and feelings better if I can right them down.”

Crystal was simple- what you see is what you get and it usually didn’t take much to make her happy. She was almost always being silly- singing or dancing. Her favorite musicians were Reba McIntire and Kenny Chesney. She definitely embraced her inner child to the fullest! She wasn’t a “girly girl.” Jeans and tie-dye t-shirts were her everyday clothes. She hated to dress up. She always said her favorite color was tie-dye, but if she had to pick just one color, it was any and every variation of blue.

Crystal was a wonderful daughter, sister, mother, aunt, wife and friend. She is greatly missed and loved by so many. Her family will spend the rest of their lives withholding her legacy. The family finds comfort in knowing that she is with God in Heaven and is no longer suffering or in any more pain. She fulfilled her purpose in life and I know that she has many crowns in Heaven for the life she lead and work she did on Earth. This is not goodbye, just see you later. We know that we will see her again one day along with our Savior. 🕊️♥️ Until then, she will our Guardian Angel!