Celebration of Life and Remembrance

Crystal Van Meter (Kirk) Rouse

There will be a celebration of Life and Remembrance for Crystal Van Meter (Kirk) Rouse on Sunday, May 26, at 1 p.m. The celebration will be held in the Fellowship Hall in the Morehead United Methodist Church (227 West Main Street, Morehead, KY 40351). We are asking Crystal's friends to bring pictures of Crystal and them that have special meaning to them. Pastor Eric Espada will give a short remembrance followed by stories from friends and family. Also, there will be a video of the stories that Crystal shared online with her many Facebook friends. Her postings revealed so much of her love of life and how to treat others.

From the time Crystal was born June 14, 1973 (Flag Day) in Carbondale, IL, until the day she passed into God's hands, she loved people and always wanted to help others. After she graduated from Rowan County High School in 1991, she went to Morehead State University and graduated in 1994 with a double major in Social Work and Psychology.

She married Nick Dawson in 1993. After graduation they moved to Lexington, KY and then to Tucson, AZ. Crystal worked as a social worker in Tucson. They returned to Louisville, KY where Crystal worked for Seven Counties as a social worker. She married Tracy Kirk 2001. They had two children: Ava and Michael "Hunter" Kirk.  She worked as a social worker at Rauch, Inc. Crystal decided to return to school and become a nurse. She attended Ivy Tech Community College in Sellersburg, IN and finished RN training in 2009. She passed the nursing certification examination Jan. 7, 2010.

Crystal worked as a Psych nurse at Wellstone in Jeffersonville, IN and later at Maxim Healthcare, Jeffersonville, IN. She and Tracy divorced in 2012. She went to work at Hazelwood Hospital, Louisville, KY as a Psych nurse. Crystal and the children returned to Morehead. She took a nursing position at Madison Correctional Facility, Madison, WV. She later moved to the Stanton Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Stanton, KY. She worked as a Case Manager for Humana-Senior Bridge.  She married David Rouse in 2018 and went to work at St. Claire Hospital, Morehead, KY as a Charge Nurse in the mental health unit. She also worked for Pathways, Morehead, KY and D & S Services, Morehead, KY.

She is survived by her immediate family: Gary and Ella Van Meter (Parents); David Rouse (Husband); Ava Kirk and Hunter Kirk (Children).  Also, she is survived by the MANY people whose lives she touched in so many positive ways. We are Crystal Strong – We are Crystal Tough!