Ms. Krystal Osborne

Krystal Osborne was born in San Mateo, California and moved to Las Vegas, Nevada with her grandmother when she was five months old.  Krystal attended E.W. Griffith Elementary School; Hyde Park Junior High School; and Clark High School. 

 

As a child, Krystal had a lot of spirit and curiosity.  She knew at the age of six that she wanted to work with deceased people.  She was fascinated with understanding the human body and what happens to the body after death.  If there was a car accident while travelling with her grandmother, she always asked her to get closer.  If there was an accident on television, she would stand in front of the tv to see the details.  Her grandmother, now age 94, often makes comments about how she never knew that Krystal would live out the life she always spoke about as a child.

 

Krystal had another love that would take her to unforeseeable heights.  She has always been athletic, playing numerous sports with her older brothers and local neighborhood children.  From this background, her love for volleyball and basketball blossomed. 

 

She started playing volleyball at the Nevada Juniors Club.  This led her to earn a full ride Volleyball Scholarship to the University of Arkansas from 1994-1998.  Krystal was the first black female volleyball player recruited to pioneer their inaugural all-female volleyball team. Her nickname in college was “Air Krystal” as a salute to her vertical jumping ability during the games. 

 

 She earned many titles and set national records.  In 1994, Krystal was the SEC player of the week.  Her abilities began to pave the way to making the Lady Razorbacks an extraordinary team.  With her name all over the Razorback record book, she was the first volleyball player to earn All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) First Team honors 1994.  They went to the NIVC in 1994 and 1995.  In 1996-1997 her team went to the NCAA Tournament.  She was selected to the AVCA All-District team in that same season.  She went on to earn three All-SEC honors and added SEC Tournament MVP to her resume in 1997.  During Krystal’s tenure the Lady Razorbacks won the SEC Western crown every season.  Her legacy consisted of 2,185 “Kills”.  She still holds the record!  This placed her in the top 12 in the nation.  Having 1,659 career digs placed her second in the SEC.  In 2011, she was inducted into the Black Alumni Society.  She was designated as a Razorback Trailblazer for 1994-1997 in 2011.  She was the Black History Month Trailblazer highlight in 2016.  Krystal was inducted into the University of Arkansas Sports Hall of Honor in 2019.  After graduation, Krystal, went on to play professional 

volleyball in Austria (UVC/Wustenrot), Chicago (Thunder), and Puerto Rico (Moco Club).  Her love for the game still burns in her heart.  

 

Krystal desired to pursue her passion that she dreamed about for decades.  She enrolled into the Mortuary Science Program at the Dallas Institute of Funeral Services and graduated in 2004.  As a student she worked in a funeral home located in Dallas and learned different aspects of the funeral industry.  After graduation she became a licensed embalmer.  She worked as a supervisor in two Central Care Centers, a Funeral Arranger, and a Trade Embalmer.  Her true calling is being an Embalmer.  She has 19 years of experience, and she is the proud owner of Krystal’s Professional Embalming Service, LLC.  

 

Currently, Ms. Osborne is licensed in Nevada, California, and Hawaii.  She is a Trade Embalmer and  travels to several locations to serve families and the community.  She is the ONLY black female embalmer in Las Vegas, Nevada.  She constantly attends different educational seminars and conventions to keep up with the latest tools and techniques.

 

She enjoys mentoring students and training future embalmers.  She has conducted several training sessions for the public and funeral home staff. Also, she has participated in test writing projects.  The time spent with everyone is an investment to ensure the funeral industry will continue to have highly skilled talent.   

 

Krystal’s exceptional abilities have been highlighted in a couple of media outlets.   She was featured in an article in the Las Vegas Sun.  She received a Certificate of Appreciation during the NFDMA of Nevada Celebration.  She was also interviewed by the New York Post.  

 

Ms. Osborne believes that every effort should be made to make the Deceased person viewable.  She takes pride in assisting the families in getting closure.  Her greatest moments are when family members tell her that their Loved One looks perfect.  Or when they hug her and just say “thank you so much”.   

 

Krystal often states she loves what she does every day.  “It is not work; the blessing is totally walking your purpose for being created.”