On April 2, 2025 the world lost a beautiful soul that is now an angel watching over us from heaven. Shelli Patrice Wait-Crisp was born on May 12, 1953 in Houston, Texas. She met her husband Steve Crisp there and after getting married, relocated to Austin Texas, where they immediately started a family, and had 4 children together…..Noah, Naomi, Rachel and Amber. In 1998, they moved to Santa Cruz, California and have since gained 4 amazing, beautiful grandchildren…..Owen, Jacob, Desmond and Leah, whom Shelli cherished and loved with all of her heart. She also had four dogs, that made her very happy. Anybody that knew Shelli would say that she is the kindest, most generous person they have ever met. She had a great sense of humor and always had a smile on her face. She made friends with every stranger along her path and without hesitation would take anyone in that needed help or a hot meal.

Her husband Steve was diagnosed with stage four kidney cancer in October of 2023, and she took the role of his caregiver, providing any assistance that he needed through his health challenges. Then recently after her health unexpectedly declined, he became her caregiver. They loved each other endlessly, to say the least, and wanted more than anything to just provide comfort for each other.

When Shelli retired from her role as a NICU nurse while working at Good Samaritan Hospital, Steve became the primary provider. He has enjoyed a long career of working as a guitar technician/luthier and a business owner of The Guitar Shop Santa Cruz. Since his cancer diagnosis, he’s had to close The Shop, and downsize to repair only. This has created a severe financial burden. We have come together as a family, to support Steve in his untimely loss. Although we have been blessed with some resources, we are still in need of support from our friends, family and community. We appreciate everyone’s love and understanding during this difficult time.