Crystal Joy Barnes

Obituary: Crystal Joy Barnes was born March 29, 1977, in Elizabeth, New Jersey to William Lee Barnes, Jr. and the late Lois Barnes. Crystal confessed Christ at an early age and became a member of Ebenezer Baptist Church, New Brunswick, NJ. She grew up in Somerset, NJ, but attended high school at Portsmouth Abby School, a boarding school in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. She wanted to attend a HBCU and major in communications so, after graduation, she attended Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. During her sophomore year, she moved back to New Jersey and attended Rutgers University. While at Rutgers University, she joined the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and became a proud "Woman of Delta." Crystal dreamed of working in entertainment, so she interned at MTV and ushered at the Lion King on Broadway during her senior year of college. After graduating from Rutgers University, New Brunswick, with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communication/Journalism and Mass Media in 1999, she went to for MTV. Crystal worked as an Executive Assistant in the entertainment industry for over ten years. Her work history included tenures at MTV/Viacom, Lifetime, and CNBC. She also worked at Tumi, a high-end accessories company, before going back to work at MTV. She left the MTV/Viacom to work at AOL/Oath which took her to California. She always wanted to live in California and was happy to move and be near several of her good friends. In 2017 , Crystal created a bucket list and went down the list crossing out activities as she completed them, such as: going to Bali in first class which she loved, moving to California and seeing Hamilton. Crystal Barnes departed this life on Monday, March 19, 2018, in Los Angles, California Service information will be posted when available. Services: Funeral services for Crystal Joy Barnes will be held 11:00 a.m. Saturday at First Nazareth Baptist Church, with burial to follow in the Memorial Gardens of Columbia. A visitation will be held Friday from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at the JP Holley Funeral Home Garners Ferry Chapel.