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Crystal Marie George
01/02/2022

On January 2, 2022, Crystal Marie George, 63, of Allentown, (formerly of Steelstown), jumped onto her steel chariot and traversed the blazing trail to the Elysian Fields. Upon her arrival, the Amazon Elder undoubtedly dethroned Hades and took over.

A former employee of Hershey Foods, her time there came to a messy end when she fell into a vat of chocolate while working on the Whatchamacallit line (subsequently, she never ate another one again). She moved into a Supervisory position at Pfaltzgraff for many years before relocating to Allentown, where she helped Dawn run her chimney sweeping business.

Crystal had an uncanny way of being sick or ending up in the hospital on holidays: Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, her birthday, Dawn’s birthday, Memorial Day and yes…even Valentine’s Day! This time she tried to leave us on her wedding anniversary and again on New Year’s Day, but alas, she was not going to get her way! We put the battery back into her Can Am Spyder, gave her two coins for Charon the Ferryman, and sent her on her way on a day that is amusingly known as National Science Fiction Day. Not a big fan of Sci-Fi, we’re sure she just loved that!

In the wake of her wrath, she is survived purely by the grace of Athena, her wife & life partner of almost 20 years (beginning May 15, 2002), Dawn McDermott, of Allentown, whom she always said was chosen as “The One” by her Himalayan cat, Shasta Star. As her friends well know, Shasta was the predecessor to Tartar, the Grumpy Cat. She had all of the talent, but got none of the glory. Crystal said she knew Dawn was the one because from the moment Shasta met Dawn, she loved and approved of her. Crystal often said that Dawn saved her when she thought love was impossible during a very difficult time in her life. Dawn disagreed and said the reason was because Crystal fell down the stairs and broke her ankle at Dawn’s house after only a month of dating, and needed a place to stay and heal. On December 31, 2015, Dawn figured Crystal wasn’t leaving any time soon, so they got married.

Crystal is also survived by a brave warrior, her son, Army Sergeant First Class Joshua Bentzel, whom she adored. She would share photos of him in his uniform with all of her friends. She was so proud of him and his service to our country and those in other countries he helped. Josh gave Crystal two incredible grandsons, Tristan and Max. Pictures of them adorned the home and were always carried and shared with pride and joy. Josh also gave Crystal a beautiful daughter-in-law, Amanda Bentzel, and with Amanda came two more wonderful step-grandchildren, Ethan Richardson, and Madisyn Strumpfer who unfortunately, Crystal hadn’t had pleasure of meeting before her passing, but spoke often of looking forward to meeting her.

Additionally, Crystal is survived by her brother Sam Blauch & wife, Romaine, of Palmyra and brother Robert & wife, Mary, of Annville, along with many nieces and nephews.

Also surviving, by shear luck, are her In-laws, who didn’t know what they were getting into when they welcomed Crystal into their family and loved her like their own: Wesley & Patricia (Agiato) Finkbeiner of Womelsdorf; Brother-in-law and Sister-in-law, Dean and Clarissa Agiato and their daughter, Willow, of Maxatawny; Stepmother-in-law Susan Agiato of Naples, FL; Stepbrother-in-law and Stepsister-in-law, Scott and Cheryl Watterson and their children, Abigail, Matthew, Caroline and Nicholas, of Pennington, NJ; Stepsister-in-law Janice Bracy Moore and her children, Amber and Ryan, of Naples, FL.

Crystal is also lovingly survived by more friends than any one person should legally have…but she did…and you were all damned lucky to know her!

She was predeceased by her parents, Melvin and Miriam (Snoke) George of Steelstown, and by sisters, Joyce (Blauch) Bentzel and Frances (George) Blauch, and by brothers, Herb George, Ken George, Ernest George, Roger George, Stewart George, Harold George, Marlin George & Mark George. (By George, I hope I didn’t miss anyone!)

Crystal lived her life the way SHE wanted to…full of kindness and love, with a beautiful smile, a hardy laugh, crystal blue eyes and a mean right hook (or the swing of her cane, depending on her mood). Without a care in the world of what people thought of her, she was true to herself and never apologized for who she was. She was always the first one to step up when someone needed help, a shoulder to cry on, a hug or a loving smile. She was also the first person to tell you to suck it up, get over yourself and move on.

Crystal loved the outdoors, traveling and camping with Dawn in their RV, visiting as many National Parks and landmarks as they could. She always said her happiest memories were the ones she and Dawn made together on their many trips throughout the United States.

She leaves behind her cats: Blossom, Gabby, Argo & Luna, and dog, Riley, all of whom miss her very much. She was predeceased by cats Shasta Star, Merlin, Oz, Monster, Tiger, Dusty, Mia, Tiki, Brisco & Elsie, and dog, Tracker. Suffering from a broken heart, Cyane followed Crystal to the Rainbow Bridge just nine days later. She fostered and rescued cats, ending up keeping more than she should have, and raised money for animal rescues. Nothing more needs to be said here except that now Dawn has to take care of all of their cats and change ALL of the litter boxes by herself. (Thanks a lot, Crystal!)

She was an active member of the DC Wolfpack motorcycle riding club, the Twin Rose Lady Riders chapter of Women On Wheels motorcycle organization and the Mid-Atlantic Women’s Motorcycle Rally, where she and her many riding colleagues raised money for women’s cancer victims. Additionally, she was a new member of The Lehigh Valley Litas Motorcycle Collective, but passed before she had the chance to ride with her new club.

Crystal was never afraid of anything except losing Dawn, which was never going to happen. Their love knew no boundaries. Together, they lived as warriors with eyes only for each other.

In leu of flowers, please consider making a donation to No Kill Lehigh Valley (nokilllv.org), Help For Oncology Patients and Emotional Support (hopelifeline.org), or just give it to Dawn so she can pay off Crystal’s Can Am (just kidding).