- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
Crystal Esberg
VICTOR, Mont. – Crystal Ann Esberg died on Nov. 18, 2018, at her home in Victor, Montana. She was 57 years old.
She was born Aug. 13, 1961, in Santa Cruz, Calif., to parents Barton Brown and Margaret (Dakan) Brown.
Crystal started with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office in Lake County, Calif., at the age of 16 typing reports. As she progressed she was a jail matron and emergency dispatcher, then officially a correctional officer.
She worked up into a sergeant's position, becoming the agency’s first-ever female sergeant. Then, as one of eight working sergeants she was chosen to be the project manager for a multimillion dollar jail expansion, the first-ever woman project manager in the county.
During this time she was selected as an advisor to the State Board of Corrections. Subsequently she was promoted to jail commander, the first correctional professional to hold the position who had gained the position of captain, and of course the first female.
Crystal’s career covered 37 years total, working for five different sheriffs and watching the jail population grow from 77 to 395. She was also a reserve officer for Clearlake Police Department and earned the “Officer of the Year” award for her service.
After she moved to her retirement cabin in the woods of Montana she continued to volunteer, finding a small secondhand shop in Hamilton that was staffed only by volunteers and donated profits to equine rescue. She was a rodeo girl with ribbons to prove it and had three quarter horses at her ranch.
Crystal was a woman with “no filter”; what she thought she said and that got her into trouble more than once. She had a huge giving heart, especially for department charities; from Kiss a Pig to the Polar Plunge, she was a there.
She helped everyone, volunteered for everything, hugged a lot and professionally she was extremely confident and professional, and you could see it in her person and her actions.
Crystal saw the worst humanity could offer for most of her life and said she “hated people” but she loved everyone unconditionally, gave generously and had unwavering faith.
Friends said she lived her life “out loud,” and had quick wit, a contagious smile, a hilarious attitude and a big laugh.
She could be tough as nails, but she was genuine and had an enormous heart. And while she was tough, she also is remembered for being fair, for seeing the potential in people and inspiring them to be better, and for being a great role model to young women entering the law enforcement profession.
Crystal and her husband used to joke with people when they asked them where they met. “In jail,” they’d say just for the fun of it, but it was true.
She also was a woman of deep faith. She loved Jesus Christ and often sat in the front pew at Lakeport Christian Center. Not long before moving to Montana, her dear friends, Pastors Mike and Ruth Suski, baptized her in the sanctuary during a church service. She was very excited to be baptized.
Crystal loved life in Montana. The deer, bears and moose that shared the land with her were of special concern; she was protective of them. Family and friends had an open invitation to come and visit, and stay at her mountain log cabin.
All her life she wanted bloodhounds and finally got a pair, Bonnie and Clyde, for her 56th birthday. She posted a lot of pictures of the dogs sleeping on the furniture – where, of course, they weren’t supposed to be lounging – or sitting on Steve because they think they are lap dogs.
Her hobbies were sewing, canning, line dancing, riding horses and Harleys, collecting pigs and Betty Boop, and she had every singing snowman hallmark has released in the last 16 years.
Crystal was preceded in death by her first husband, David Eyerly.
She is survived by husband, Steven Esberg; sister, Debra Brown Campbell; brother-in-law Dan Esberg; sister-in-law, Mary Ann (Esberg) Schwenk; brother-in-law, Howard Schwenk; two nephews; and 10 grandchildren.
There also are three horses, two dogs and an old house cat she took when her favorite aunt passed away that are looking for her at the ranch.
We don’t know why she left us so young, 57 years old was way too soon, she retired young and should have had a long and joyful retirement.
She is loved, she is missed.
A celebration of Crystal’s life will be held in Lake County at 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 15, at her former church, Lakeport Christian Center, 455 S. Forbes St.
A memorial video can be viewed here.
