Dear sweet niece Emily,

I’m sure missing you and am so sad about your passing. We shared a love of all things French and spoke in our special language together often. I have thought of the many memories I have of you, but one of my favorites is when we met in NYC and you came and stayed with me and your little cousins Libby and James in our hotel. We shared a bed and a lot of giggles after a fantastic night at dinner and a Broadway Show. You always felt comfortable to share how things were with me and I really believe you knew how much I always loved you!  I’m sorry we didn’t have more time to enjoy walks and lunches together. Your bright wit and kind and tender heart is missed by me. We will see each other again, I know this.  À bientôt, ma cheer niece! Aunt Rebecca Young

     Our family first met Emily, our grandniece and cousin, on the day she was born in a San Francisco hospital on Webster Street.  We cherish the memory of a beautiful baby girl being adored in a room full of love and pink!  Over the years we have shared many life events and special times with the Crowders, and consider them a beloved part of our family.  Just before the birth of baby Samuel in Berkeley, Dave and Alisyn moved their family from San Francisco to our Orinda-Moraga area, where we had front-row seats as we watched them grow and thrive. Ultimately they settled in across the Bay in Menlo Park before Eliza was born in Palo Alto.

     We have so many happy memories of holidays, birthdays, graduations and other special times shared with the Crowders.  Once, while eating a piece of her chocolate birthday cake at our kitchen table, Emily was asked by her mother, "Emily, do you love chocolate?" She replied unhesitatingly in a darling voice that came from the depths of her throat, "Oh, mama, I LUB chocolate!" We were privileged to watch Emily's talent for drama blossom as she performed in children's theater productions and to hear her play Christmas carols on the piano during Christmas Eve programs, highlighted by a reenactment of the Nativity scene.

     Among our shared memories are horsing around and dancing on the living room floor to the music of our player piano, along with other simple games and activities including wearing signs of the names of each of Santa's reindeer while singing Rudolph and singing Christmas carols to the accompaniment of Alisyn's music chimes.

     What a dear and wonderful young woman! What a loving and supportive family! What a glorious reunion awaits when the time is right!

     We love you, Emily, and we miss you every day.  May you be at peace in that heavenly realm full of love to which you have so recently passed, and where you have returned to the outstretched arms of your Heavenly Parents and Dear Ones who have gone before.

Love,

Aunt Mimi and Uncle Tom

Dearest Emily,

Your light, intelligence, and compassion will be sorely missed. We are grateful for your

positive influence on each of us. You have had a significant impact on your family,

friends, Church, and community. Your life was filled with beauty, meaning, and purpose,

and you blessed us all!

You are a noble daughter of God, who loves you perfectly and trusts you greatly. You

are infinitely valuable to Him, and His purpose is to help you, and each of us, gain

eternal life and find enduring joy.

In God’s infinite love, He created a plan for us to develop and grow so that we can

become more like Him. We rejoiced at the prospects of our divine potential. Part of

God’s plan entailed a mortal experience here on earth where we would confront

difficulty and opposition. We would “taste the bitter, that [we] might know to prize the

good” (Moses 6:56). You confronted your fair share of difficulties in life and did so with

persistence and grace.

At times, you must have felt as Job who confessed during his trials: "Behold, I go

forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him: On the left hand,

where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I

cannot see him” (Job 23:8-9). Even Job felt distant at times from God. Yet in faith, he

declared: “He knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold" (Job 23:10).

Knowing of the difficulties we would face in this life, God provided His Son to be our

Deliverer. Christ’s devotion to us, our spiritual development, and our successful return to

God is beyond comprehension. Through Him, we are made whole. Through Him, all

things are made fair. And through Him, we find lasting peace and joy.

Jesus Christ will never forget or forsake us. He asked, “Can a woman forget her sucking

child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may

forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my

hands...” (Isaiah 49:15-16).

He further promised, “With everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee… For the

mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from

thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy

on thee" (Isaiah 54:8-10).

We trust you have been “encircled about eternally in the arms of his love” (2 Nephi 1:15)

and you are now free to continue growing in His light and peace without the burdens

you carried in mortality.

We sorely miss you and pray that we will be able to join you among the “innumerable

company of the spirits of the just… [who are] firm in the hope of a glorious resurrection,

through the grace of God the Father and His Only Begotten Son, Jesus… and [who are]

filled with joy and gladness” (Doctrine and Covenants 138:12-15).

With love and confidence,

John

In the summer of 2019 I was struggling to find a soft place to land - looking for a job and figuring out my next steps post-college.

Emily had let me stay at her small Lower East Side apartment the previous summer — making our way through her pages of food recs and even coming with me to the Statue of Liberty. So when 2019 rolled around, I knew exactly who to call about my potential move to NYC. Immediately she urged me to make the jump - she called me to check in, found us the perfect apartment on the UWS, sourced roommates, found sub-letters and in retrospect — set up my entire future!

It’s been 5 years since that move and I still live only a few blocks away from the apartment Emily and I shared. The short time we were roommates was filled with highs and lows, but gave me a front row seat to just how passionate, driven and talented Emily was in everything she did. Whether a job, a friendship or a date — she made it happen!

I remember one of our last NYC trips together was upstate to the Catskills during the fall foliage. In true Emily fashion she planned the entire trip - down to the apple cider donuts. I remember walking through the colorful leaves telling stories of dates past, sharing dreams for the future and thinking - wow, how lucky are we?

Truly how lucky are we to have had a friend like Emily. A friend who encouraged us to do hard things, put ourselves out there and chase our dreams. 

Em, I love you so much! I’m so grateful for our friendship - the years at BYU, our ski dates in Utah, our drives up to the alpine loop and our later years working in NYC. I will always be grateful for what you gave me through your love, example and tenacity as a true New Yorker! Love you always xx. 

Dear Alisyn, David and family, 

We are deeply heartbroken to hear of Emily's passing.  Though we hadn’t seen her as often in recent years, the memories of those early playdates and our girls' first sleepovers had are cherished deeply. They were soo excited, you were so kind to make that weekend so special for Nicole.  I can still picture Emily's beautiful, pure laughter and that unique blend of coyness/grace and quiet confidence that made her so special. Please know our thoughts and prayers are with you during this incredibly difficult time. Emily’s lovely spirit will be profoundly missed and lovingly remembered.

With heartfelt sympathy,Kay, Robert, Nicole, Kyle and Aaron Lee

Dear Emily,

It’s been over a month and it is still hard to find the words to express all the feelings I have been having. You have left a big hole in our hearts, and I want you to know that you are loved, you are cherished, you are special and you will forever be a part of us.

I have so many memories of us together in New York, from the first time we met at a girls dinner at Market Table and impromptu decided to rent a boat for 20 people to sail in New York harbor, to bringing all our friends together for said boat tour, from your PJ themed birthday party, to an ABBA themed dinner at my flat that we hosted the evening that it snowed so much in NY that the ABBA candlelight concert we were supposed to go to got cancelled, from a paint and pour workshop where you unleashed all your creativity, to skiing together in Alta & Snowbird.

CJ and I are grateful that you came to our wedding in Switzerland earlier this year, it meant so much to us to have you there for such a special day in our lives. Thank you. We had the best times together and I will forever hold those memories dear.

But as many have written here before me, what I will remember most are our talks. You listen to and care for the people in your life like very few others do. You are thoughtful and witty, you are compassionate and smart, you bring such positive energy in every room you walk in, you take time to get to know people, you give so much love and strength to those around you. Everything you do, you do with grace and purpose. You have a radiant soul.

May you rest in peace in God’s loving arms. I miss you dearly and pray that we will meet again.

Your dear friend,

Mavi

Since Emily’s passing I have thought a lot about the times we spent together, the conversations we had, and the blessing of life and family. Emily was a lifelong friend of mine and will always hold a very special place in my heart. We grew up together, spent time together in different stages of our lives and I was always able to count on Emily to be honest and a great listener. In high school and throughout college we kept up with each other's lives even though we attended different schools. I always enjoyed the time we spent together whether it was walking the dish, going to summer camps and school events, and most recently seeing her in New York City.

When I think of Emily the qualities that come to mind are brilliant, genuine, original, thoughtful, hilarious, and honest. I remember the summer before we went off to college we were on a walk together and I mentioned that I really wanted to be more creative or find some sort of creative outlet. I didn’t think much more about but sure enough, the next day Emily came over to my house with a coloring book and colored pencils for me. I felt so special and it meant the world that Emily would think to do that after a comment I made in passing. But that is just how she was and it’s so rare to find people like that! Another very similar story was again the summer before we went to college and we were walking the dish and joking about all of the southern things that I was bound to get into since I was going to SMU in Dallas, TX. Emily joked that the next time she saw me everything I owned would be monogrammed. The week or so before we both left for school Emily came over with a present and it was a set of monogrammed towels! We both laughed. This is just one of the many examples of how funny and thoughtful Emily was. She was always so in tune with what made those around her feel loved and listened to. I still have and use those towels to this day!

Although the thoughtful gift giving made me and I’m sure many others feel very special and valued, I think what I will miss the most and what was the most incredible thing about Emily was her empathy. Emily was very honest with the trials she was going through and I know she did all she could to combat the struggles she experienced in this life. But I think if anything, an amazing gift from this was how empathetic she was to others. It truly was an amazing gift of hers. She helped me through some things and I was able to, hopefully to an extent, do the same for her. When I went to NYC a year and a half ago to visit her we were able to catch up on a lot and I was able to understand more of what she had been going through. Her caring nature and transparency about herself made me feel comfortable to open up and be honest too. She reminded me it was okay to not have it all figured out. I was so impressed with the independent life she had built in NYC and how she pushed herself to learn as much as possible about herself and understand what was best for her.

We had a really fun time together, eating good pasta and bagels, attempting to get into a comedy club (and failed), and watched movies at her apartment until 2am. I’m so happy I was able to have that time with her. Even though at the time I didn’t know it would be the last time I’d see her, I’m so grateful I have those fun memories to remember.

Emily was a very dear friend and she was truly one of a kind! I know she is at peace now and that she lived her life with love and compassion for her friends and family. She was so special to so many.

Emily— I love you and am so grateful for how you helped me become a better person. I will always miss you.

Emily Suzanne Crowder -

I’ve always expressed my love and sharing that Emily is an absolute favorite of mine with my surrogate nieces and nephews from our dear sweet group of friends! I feel a strong sense to write down my thoughts and share them with her family.

As a baby, Emily had a beautiful cherub face and smile, always inquisitive, smart, questioning, insightful, intelligent, witty, bright, and loving.

As a little girl spending time at the cabin, sledding down the luge run and roads taking her back and forth on the sled behind the snowmobile, playing games with her and how she would always call me Uncle Rick and Jen, aunt Jenni. Bringing in the new millennia of 2000 with her as a young lady and seeing how bright eyed and engaged she was with me, later at the cabin, I remember sitting around the fire place at the cabin talking about school at Menlo Park and what she loved about school and what she disliked. The rigors of her classes, her friends and how she loved her siblings.

I remember spending time up at Garff Ranch with horses in the arena and watching her with the brightest smile as she sat in the saddle beaming knowing she is a real cowgirl!!

Going up to Flaming Gorge, camping in tents, watching Richard and Jacob interact with Emily, Matt, and how small our children were at that time, swimming in the Gorge, playing on the beach, and camp fires were so fun!

As Emily continued to grow up, she graduated from high school and started attending BYU in Provo, in 2017, I reached out to her to see how she was doing and how school was going. She was a little down with all of the struggles of school and I invited her and her friends to come up to our home for the weekend for food, movies, treats, and some relaxation. We grilled salmon and put out all the fixings. She showed up with 6 girlfriends and they spent the weekend taking over our basement and a beehive of activities filled with giggling girls!!

Emily would text me from time to time, wishing me a Happy Father’s Day, Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and of course Happy New Year!

She was working for a company called Daily Play, and we discussed how it might fit with the Ken Garff Automotive Group. She was so insightful and could see possibilities of how it could work

I’m so grateful for the time spent in Egypt, Jordan, and Israel. Riding Camels in Egypt, her encouraging words while I wanted to get off that crazy camel. Taking her up to the dance floor of one of the many meals we had together as group and dancing with her. Sitting in the back of the bus, sharing thoughts, her analytical nature, her discussing with me her thoughts about different topics, of travel interspersed with thoughts of the gospel, her struggles with life and her willingness to cry on my shoulder, laugh at my silly jokes, watching her interact with her siblings including their spouses and how much she loved and accepted them into the crowder family! Her excitement of the possible engagement of Eliza and yet her sadness of not having someone special in her life. She was struggling with her personal challenges and was kind enough to let me into her guarded world and able to share in a very small way how she was struggling with life. I feel blessed she trusted us to share some of their pain that she was struggling with in her life.

In August of 2022, After our trip, she reached out to me about being in an accident in her family suburban and wanting to take responsibility for the damage and getting it repaired. She didn’t want to disappoint her parents, she always wanted to be seen in a perfect light and that stress contributed to some of the demons she was facing! To me she was and is always perfect!! We helped connect her with our bodyshop.

Later that week, we met at Market Street for breakfast and how she opened up to me about her life, her opportunities and her challenges. We laughed, cried, and enjoyed an hour of real connectivity! It reenforced my love and admiration for Emily.

Emily had great goals in mind and wanted to conquer the world in different ways. She had such a creative mind and loved the world of design and marketing. She asked me lots of different questions about different careers and wanting to know my thoughts. I was so fun to watch her develop and grow.

I know that Emily is being surrounded by extended family and that her mortal challenges have been removed and she is now taking on a new and wonderful opportunity on the other side of the veil. She will be a constant help and support to her nephews and nieces as well as her parents. I can hear her saying to her parents, slow down, relax, enjoy the moments, sharing her love for her mom and dad!

Emily, I love you and admire you for your strength both seen and unseen. For fighting the good fight, and doing all that was humanly possible with the struggles you faced. Know that your Uncle Rick and Aunt Jenni love you and are proud of you for the wonderful young woman you have shown to so many!! Until we meet again, God Speed!!

Love,

Uncle Rick & Aunt Jenni