Mary Ruth Berscheid was born at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Humboldt, SK, as the fifth child to Ella and Raymond Berscheid on April 25, 1961.
Mary grew up on a farm near Lake Lenore. She attended school in Lake Lenore from Grade 1 to 11, before going to St. Ursula Academy in Bruno, SK, where she graduated from Grade 12. After high school graduation, she obtained a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Saskatchewan. She worked as a Registered Nurse in Saskatoon as well as several rural communities in Saskatchewan.
After enough cold Canadian winters, Mary relocated to Florida. Before her departure for the US, she legally changed her name to Mairee Krystal Tkaerys, and went by Krystal thereafter.
In Florida, Krystal worked for several organizations in a variety of nursing roles, including a Home Health Care Nurse and a Nurse Case Manager.
Krystal was especially delighted when family came to visit, and was a welcoming host and tour guide. She enjoyed living and working in Florida and made many strong and endearing friendships.
Outside of work, Krystal loved going out for a meal or for coffee. She enjoyed gathering with a local knitting circle, experimenting with new types of yarn, knitting special and ever more complex projects, as well as trying her hand in unique craft projects.
Krystal experienced many health complications of type 1 diabetes before receiving a kidney and pancreas transplant in 2011. The new organs improved her quality of life for several years, but over time, she again began to experience health challenges.
In August, while admitted to hospital for another matter, Krystal acquired COVID-19. Unfortunately, she succumbed to it and related complications on September 24, 2023.
Krystal will be dearly missed by her family and friends.
She is predeceased by her father (Raymond), her mother (Ella), and her brother (Gerald). Krystal is survived by her siblings Theresa (Jerome), Rita (Verne), Daniel (Linda), Bernice, Donna (Garth), her sister-in-law, Sharon (Gerald), and several nieces and nephews and their families.
The family would like to thank Krystal’s health team in Florida, both her outpatient care team as well as the inpatient staff at Advent Health Hospital in Orlando, particularly those in ICU who looked after her in her difficult last days. Also, a special thanks to Krystal’s friends who tirelessly assisted her in times of need as her health declined.