The husband of a former Kansas City Chiefs cheerleader paid a moving tribute to his ‘best friend’ at her funeral following her sudden death from sepsis, days after she gave birth to her stillborn daughter.
Krystal Anderson, 40, gave birth to her stillborn daughter Charlotte on March 20. She then developed a fever and became septic before suffering organ failure.
A funeral for Anderson was held Thursday at Christ Community Church’s Leawood campus.
“She was my beautiful wife, my best friend, my person and in the role I loved to see her embrace, a mother,” said her grieving husband Clayton.
“When we found out we were pregnant with Charlotte,” she said. ‘Krystal and I were delighted. I was going to be a girl, dad, and Krystal was going to have her mini and me hers.
“I already knew that little miss would keep me on my toes because her mother would encourage her to do so.”
Former Kansas City Chiefs cheerleader Krystal Anderson died suddenly from complications of sepsis days after giving birth to her stillborn daughter.
Her grieving husband Clayton said at the funeral: “She was my beautiful wife, my best friend, my person and in the role I loved watching her hug, a mother.”
She is survived by her husband, to whom she was married for two years, and the couple had previously experienced the stillbirth of their son James before she became pregnant with Charlotte.
‘After the birth of our son James Charles, she promised to remain his mother and say his name. She wasn’t ashamed that he wasn’t here.
“Krystal felt very blessed and lucky to be a mother and I know in my heart that she is up there doing an amazing job with those sweet babies,” Clayton said.
“The three of them hope that dad and our fur babies will join them one day when we can all be together.”
The Kansas City Chiefs cheerleaders shared fond memories with their beloved teammate, who they said brought people together and made an effort to get to know everyone she met.
“I feel lost,” Clayton told Fox4 through tears. “There are a lot of people in this house and it feels empty.”
Their baby James was born at rest, his ashes kept inside a teddy bear that Clayton hugged during their interview.
Tributes have poured in for the former entertainer and women’s health advocate following her death, as loved ones remembered her for her “radiant smile that could light up the darkest room.”
Chiefs cheerleaders said on X that the organization was “deeply saddened” by his passing. He cheered for the team for more than 100 games between 2006 and 2011, and again between 2013 and 2016.
“During that time, she attended the Pro Bowl as a representative of the Chiefs in 2015, served as captain of her team, cheered during the London game and visited our troops around the world, including in Iraq, Kuwait and throughout the United States. United,” the team added.
Anderson (pictured with her husband) developed a fever and became septic before suffering organ failure.
Anderson worked as a software engineer at Oracle Health, where she obtained a patent to develop software that assesses the risk of postpartum hemorrhage.
‘She was loved and adored by her teammates, fans and strangers who were never strangers for long.
“After her time as a cheerleader, she continued to share her love of dance and Chiefs Cheer by playing an alumni role on game days, practices and events.”
The Chiefs plan to honor Anderson at a future game.
“We will miss her kind spirit, her joyful energy and her brightness,” the post read.
‘Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones. We will cherish every moment we had with her. We will share later how we will continue to honor her legacy.”
Shanna Adamic, a former Chiefs cheerleader who cheered with Krystal, said her 18-year-old friend “was absolute magic in every sense of the word.”
‘She brought him to the field. “She brought it to her friendships, she brought it to our tours that we did all over the world,” Adamic said.
A proud advocate for women in STEM, Anderson worked as a software engineer at Oracle Health, where she obtained a patent to develop software that assesses the risk of postpartum hemorrhage.
Her obituary said Anderson donated much of her time to the community, helping with Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Kansas City, Gabriella’s Little Library and the First Hand Foundation.
Tributes poured in for the beloved wife and friend as loved ones remembered her for her “radiant smile that could light up the darkest room.”
She is survived by her husband Clayton Anderson, to whom she was married for two years. The couple previously experienced another stillbirth before the recent tragedy.
“She fiercely advocated for Black women in STEM and women’s health,” the obituary said.
“In her free time, she enjoyed dancing, laughing with her sisters, practicing and teaching yoga, dining on exotic and spicy foods, and spending time on the couch with her husband and two dogs, Sprocket and Louie.”
TO GoFundMe has been held in his honor and has raised more than $75,000 as of Thursday morning.
The GoFundMe description reads: ‘Krissy was more than a wife, mother, daughter or friend; she was magic personified.
‘Her radiant smile could light up the darkest room, and her cheeky responses never failed to spark laughter and joy.
“She loved with all her heart, leaving a mark on everyone who was lucky enough to know her.”