Crystle Dougherty

Crystle Jane (Meyer) Dougherty was born to Harold and Sarah Meyer on January 25, 1978 in the middle of a blizzard at the Sioux Valley Hospital in Sioux Falls, SD. When she was born she had congenital hip dysplasia and wore a brace for that until she was almost two years old. Crystle grew up in Pipestone, MN and lived in a few different places until around 4 years old when her family settled into a quaint house on 5th Ave SW. During her younger years, Crystle loved hanging out with all of the other kids in the neighborhood and made many lifelong friends during that time period. She attended Dolson Hill Elementary School for first through fifth grade and then onto the Pipestone-Jasper Middle School/High School from sixth through twelfth where she graduated on June 6, 1996. During her high school years Crystle loved spending time with friends and held a few different jobs in the community. She was a “wild child” at times and marched to the beat of her own drum even when at times she felt that she struggled to fit in. If you were ever a close friend to Crystle, you were a friend of hers pretty much for life as she valued all of her friendships fiercely. After she graduated from High School, Crystle worked for a little while before deciding to try something new. She was struggling a bit to find her place in the big world so she left MN in September of 1997 and headed to Darby, MT to Trapper Creek Job Corps Center where she attended classes in business/clerical services. In April of 1998, Crystle graduated from that program where she also obtained her driver’s license and she was back on track in life. During her time in Montana she matured and grew and made so many more life long friends. She loved the area and the staff were great and she was so proud of her accomplishments in that short seven month time period. After Trapper Creek, Crystle was offered the opportunity to attend Hubert H. Humphrey Job Corp Center in St. Paul MN to further her studies so she jumped at the chance and away she went on another adventure. Crystle attended the Transportations Communications Union program which helped her further her skills and take the Civil Service Exam. In December of 1998 Crystle graduated from the TCU program and was offered a job at the VA Hospital in St. Paul MN which she gladly took. She moved from the Job Corps campus into a small apartment in Minneapolis and was employed at the VA for 8 months. During her time in St. Paul Crystle met Troy Olson and the two were united in marriage in August of 1999. Their first child was born in October and from there the couple moved back to Crystle’s hometown of Pipestone to raise their blooming family. From their union came a total of 4 beautiful children. In December of 2007 the couple separated. In March of 2008 Crystle met her match in Lyle Dougherty very unexpectedly through a mutual friend. In June of 2009 the couple welcomed a daughter and were united in marriage in November of that same year. Between the two of them,  they were a mixed brood of yours mine and ours with 6 beautiful children all together as Lyle had a son from a previous relationship to add to the mix.  It was a wonderful time in her life as Crystle loved kids and being silly and spending time with the ones she loved.  During the years back in Pipestone, Crystle worked several different jobs including dietary at Good Sam, a Health Unit Coordinator in the CICU/ICU at Sioux Valley Hospital in Sioux Falls, Medical Records at the Veteran’s Home in Luverne, MN, Medical Records at Pipestone County Medical Center, and Station Attendant at the Freedom Gas Station. Of all the jobs she held, in 2013 she was finally offered a spot that she had dreamed of as a 911 Dispatcher/Jailer for Pipestone County. This job meant everything to her as Crystle loved to help people in distress, dealing with chaos, multitasking, etc. For 7 years she loved every minute that she was at that office making a difference and had planned on being there for the rest of her working days or until they kicked her out of there. 

In August of 2018 after her very first Mammogram, Crystle was diagnosed with Stage IV Metastatic Breast Cancer and as much as she tried it got to the point where the job and hours were just too much for her to handle so she hung up the reigns in October of 2020. For 4 ½ years Crystle went through numerous oral chemotherapies, Hormone injections, Bone strengthening infusions, radiation, illness, side effects, and a couple hospital stays. Due to this being incurable she was told she would be on treatment forever and it was only to try to keep the cancer from progressing for as long as that medicine would work. No matter what the cancer would always find a way around the treatment eventually. In December of 2022 Crystle decided that she had put up a great fight for as long as she could but wanted quality of life over quantity of life and stopped all treatment with the support of her doctor and family. In May of 2023 she had her final set of scans where they discovered that the cancer there was progressing and that it was also throughout her liver as well. 

Those of you who truly know Crystle know that she has always been one to push the limits and march to the beat of her own drum. She stood up for the underdogs and loved to make people giggle and smile. She was an avid reader, loved music and singing karaoke, had a vast love for The Nightmare Before Christmas, loved spending time with her nieces and nephews,  and was just a fun person. To know her was to smile and say well what is she up to now most times as she could also be a bit mischievous. Another great quality is that she loved her family with all that she had and would do anything for her husband and children at any time. Being a Mom she felt was her biggest achievement in life and she was so thankful for each of her precious children as they brought a lot of joy to her life. She was also extremely thankful every day for her husband Lyle as he was truly her person and brought out some of the best parts of her. He was her best friend through and through. Another way Crystle always felt blessed was her two best girlfriends Dawn and Sally. Friends since first grade and they were still going strong, the three musketeers who could get through anything life threw at them as long as they stuck together which they did for many many years. Crystle never had sisters and so they were the next best thing and she loved them with all that she was. 

She is lovingly remembered by her parents Harold and Sarah Meyer of Pipestone, MN, her husband Lyle Dougherty and their six children; Spencer Olson of Pipestone, MN, Samantha Olson (Anthony) of Marshall, MN, Shelbi Olson of Pasadena, TX, Skyler Olson of Pipestone, MN, Bryce Dougherty of Pipestone, MN and Violet Dougherty of Pipestone, MN. One Grandson Ja’mir McFadden of Marshall, MN, two brothers Justin Meyer(Melissa) of Sioux Falls, SD, Shane Meyer of Sioux Falls, SD as well as brother and sister in laws,  many cousins, nieces and nephews whom she loved to pieces, and quite an abundance of friends from all walks of life that she has met upon her journey here on earth. She was preceded in death by her Maternal and Paternal Grandparents, as well as two brother’s in law and a sister in law Wayne “Trucker” Dougherty, Kurtis Lee Dougherty and Amy Lyn Manna. Blessed be her memory!!!