Mom on the Move
“Stanley and I miscarried three, then I got my three”, Crystal Richards says with a wry smile as she recounts the start of her family with now ex-husband Stanley Richards. Divorcing in 2005 due to some irreconcilable issues after 8 years of marriage, the two have moved past their differences and actively participate in the three boys’ lives — Ryan,15, Bryce, 13, and Gavin, 9. Their autumn weekends filled with football, motor-cross, bow hunting and the hustle and bustle of three growing boys, the Richards keep on the move. Even though Gavin is not Stanley’s biological son, the Richards family unit, supported by both grandparents within a few square miles of their trailer, remains undoubtedly strong. Trimble football exists as a centerpiece for the family, with the oldest and youngest sporting red mohawks representative of the growing trend of the ‘mohawk mafia’ brazenly present in Glouster, Ohio.
At the age of 14, Crystal declared to her mother she would be a firefighter one day and has since proven this to be true. Blocked from gaining access to the Glouster squad due to her gender, she shifted her sights to the neighboring Jacksonville Fire and Rescue only to become the first female volunteer in the 124 year history of the squad. Gaining her degree in Public Safety and an Emergency Medical Services certification in 2010 from Hocking College, Crystal also puts time in with the Perry County Squad as an EMT. In addition to her public safety work, Crystal has been the assistant manager at Certified Gas station in Glouster and juggles the morning shift starting at 5am three to four times a week to put food on the table. Forthright about her life, Crystal expands upon her health struggles to note a triumph over ovarian cancer in 2007 that resulted in a hysterectomy in 2008. Fortunately, she continues to have a clear bill of health. A devoted mother, committed community member and no nonsense woman&mdashCrystal Richards finds herself with little sleep and certain hurdles, but plenty of satisfaction in her life.
