Kristen Haskell

1967 - 2021

Kristen Haskell

Springfield - Kristen Elaine Haskell, 54, of Springfield, MO, passed away peacefully at home on June 10, 2021, with her loving husband by her side.

Kristen was born on St. Patrick's Day, March 17, 1967, to John and Mary Langley in Newport, Rhode Island. Her family moved to California shortly after her birth, and she lived most of her young adult life in the San Diego area. She then moved to Baldwin City, KS, where lived until she graduated from high school. Kristen returned to San Diego and worked in banking as a loan processor. In January 1995, her friendship with Steve Haskell grew into a romance, and Steve and Kristen became engaged. During this time, a health mystery that had been symptomatic for most of Kristen's life was diagnosed as Muscular Dystrophy, and they were married on March 18, 1995, in San Diego. They remained in California until 2003, when they moved to Springfield, MO, to be closer to Kristen's brothers, William and Jack. Selling their home in San Diego allowed them to build a fully accessible home in Springfield, as well as purchase the adaptive equipment that Kristen required to meet her changing physical needs. Kristen made friends easily in their new hometown. She followed her artistic passions by taking art classes at MSU, attending creative writing programs through the local library, and designing, crafting, and selling beautiful jewelry locally. Kristen was inspired by the beauty of nature and she loved animals. In November of 2015, Kristen re-committed her relationship with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and her faith strengthened and grew day by day. As her physical limitations increased and Kristen spent the majority of her time in bed, she developed many additional close friendships with a loving and supportive online community, her "Purple Family", who were knit together by their shared admiration for Prince and his extensive musical works. Despite her difficult physical challenges, Kristen lived her extraordinary life with beauty, joy, and grace. She will be greatly missed by all who knew her and loved her. Kristen is survived by her beloved husband of 26 years, Steve Haskell, her father John Langley Sr. and his wife, Cleo, and brothers John (Jack) Langley Jr. and William Langley. She was preceded in death by her mother, Mary Langley. The family would like to extend gratitude to Dr. Lambird for serving Kristen in our home, to Julie, Kristen's home-health nurse, and to the many caregivers who assisted Kristen over the years including Cecilia, Donna, Penny, Alice, Brenda, Kathleen, Jennifer, Jana, Sam, and Cindy. We thank all of you for your love and faithful service. A Celebration of Kristen's Life will be at Life.Church Springfield on Thursday, June 24, at 3:00. A reception will follow at Roots Coffee Bar, located just south of Life Church, from 4:00 to 7:00. Arrangements are under the direction of Walnut Lawn Funeral Home, Springfield, MO. Kristen's service will be livestreamed at walnutlawnfuneralhome.com. Go to Kristen's obituary and then go to tribute wall, we will start livestreaming at 2:50. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to The Kristen Haskell Foundation. Donations may be made online at cfozarks.org/haskell or by check to "The Kristen Haskell Foundation" Community Foundation of the Ozarks, PO Box 8960, Springfield, MO, 65801