Hundreds of mourners gathered at a church in North Carolina on Friday night to celebrate the life of Cheslie Kryst, an attorney, former Miss USA and justice advocate who died last month, aged 30.
“Cheslie … sowed many seeds through her work, her philanthropy, her advocacy, and most importantly, her genuine care for others,” said Kryst’s mother, April Simpkins, as reported by the Charlotte Observer.
“I know those seeds will continue to bear fruit for many years.”
The newspaper said “thousands” attended the memorial online.
Kryst killed herself on 30 January in New York City.
In addition to her pageant participation, Kryst created White Collar Glam and was a correspondent for the entertainment news show Extra.
In the legal world, she advocated for criminal justice and social justice reform, fighting for the wrongly incarcerated.
Edward Watson, whom Kryst worked to free several years ago, said at the memorial: “In life we encounter ordinary people, but there are rare cases when we meet extraordinary people.
“I needed help. The Lord sent the help that I needed.”
Watson spent 25 years behind bars on weapons and crack trafficking charges. Kryst worked with her stepfather, David Simpkins, and the attorney MiAngel Cody to shorten his sentence.
“Cheslie preached the sermon just in how she showed up in the world, who she was there for and what she called us to do,” Cody said at the memorial. “I always found her to be [a] curriculum for how to be an attorney, how to be an advocate and how to be a human being.”
Kryst was also an ambassador for Dress for Success, a non-profit that aims to “empower women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire and the development tools to help women thrive in work and in life”.
Her work for the Charlotte-area chapter was praised at her memorial.
“Be like Cheslie, honor Cheslie and share your gifts,” said Kelly Barr O’Conner, executive director of Dress for Success Charlotte.
“Sweet Cheslie, rest in peace and may perpetual light shine upon you. You have shared your light with all of us and we’ll take it from here.”
In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is at 800-273-8255 and online chat is also available. You can also text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis text line counselor. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org
