Kim Crystal Hefner

Kim Crystal Hefner passed away Tuesday, November 8, 2022, at the age of 45. She was born June 30, 1977, at the old McKay Dee Hospital in Ogden, Utah. She was a beautiful daughter, sister, aunt, niece, granddaughter, cousin, and friend, a bright ray of sunshine that will forever be deeply missed. During her short life, she touched and changed the lives of so many. Her ability to love unconditionally and care for others was remarkable. She took in those in need, without a second thought, and they became our family. There are several people who have said they wouldn’t be here today or be who they are if it weren’t for her. She helped raise two young boys, as if they were her own, when their mother died, and took a teenage boy and his mother under her wing when she was getting clean and sober. Kim took a fifteen-year-old girl in, helped her get clean, helped her graduate from high school, and legally adopted her so she didn’t end up in the system. Kim supported her daughter’s passion for art, and she now has a successful career as a tattoo artist.

Kim was a longtime member of Narcotics Anonymous (NA), with around 13 years clean and sober before her relapse. She did service work and there are countless stories of Kim going above and beyond to do whatever she could to help people. She stayed with three kids so a mother could go to rehab and get clean. That mother now has 22 years clean and sober, went on to become a substance use disorder counselor at a women’s inpatient treatment center, and has also adopted a son and fostered several other children. Kim got many people to their first NA meeting. One of those recovering addicts now has 16 years clean, owns multiple businesses, and recently opened a sober living home for mothers to stay with their children and get clean. Kim stayed with a newcomer for an entire month, and didn’t let her out of her sight, so she could detox off heroin and keep her son. That woman credits Kim for keeping her alive and from going back to prison. One of her nieces says Kim was a huge part of how she shaped herself growing up, and now at 24-years-old, she has legally adopted a child and fostered three others. Kim is so proud of all of us.

That’s who Kim was – love. She was such a fun, free spirit. She loved to perform and be front and center stage. She was a tree hugging hippy child and an artist at heart. She loved to paint and go to art and pride festivals, loved to dance, blast her music, and laugh. Her favorite thing to do was make memories with loved ones and take loads of pictures. We are grateful to have so many of her. She loved nature, all thing suns and moons, sunflowers, daisies, and rainbows. She was always extra, selfless, charismatic, and not afraid to be loud, honest, and bold. Her soul was brilliantly colorful and blindingly beautiful.    

Kim completed her trade school at Weber Basin Job Corps, obtained her mortgage lender license, and worked at a drug and alcohol treatment center. She was a smart, skilled negotiator and saleswoman with a tenacious spirit. Her radiant smile and energy lit up every room she walked in. Her sense of humor and personality were truly one of a kind. She knew how to make you feel special and strong. She was a powerhouse of a woman as well as one of the sweetest, most nurturing, empathetic humans that ever existed. She was a teacher, a protector, a mother, and support system to so many.     

Kim is preceded in death by her nephew Justin Brown, father Allen Tim Hefner, and her mother Paula Nan Collett. She is survived by her brothers Michael and Timothy Hefner, sisters Michelle “Shelly” Harris (John) and Amy Clark, stepparents Barbara Sillin (Al), nieces Heather Hefner, Jessica Mallory (Steven), and Shaina Harris, nephews Anthony “Hoto” Mestas (Paige), Michael Hefner, Randy and Jake Harris, great-nieces Charidy “Moosha” Hefner, Madison Clark, Nicoiya Hill, Lillian and Clarissa Harris, great-nephews Kamren Mestas, Jeremiah Gordier, Jayson and Nicholas Clark, Kaden Hefner, John “Abe” Harris, and her adopted babies Kezia “Bernice” Fields (Amber), Gilbert “Drew” Gibson, Tyree “Ty” Dickerson, and Jermiah “Pooba” Wheeler. She also leaves behind many beloved cousins, extended family members, and friends (chosen family and the rest of the Pink Ladies).

A celebration of life will be held for Kim, and her mother Paula, at 6 p.m. on Monday, November 21, 2022, in the Comfort Suites Conference Center, Ogden, Utah. Donations can be made in Kim’s honor to support mothers and their children in recovery at ‘Mommy and Me’ sober living house via https://gofund.me/2423b9d0.

Kim always said treat others as you would like to be treated and that love conquers all. Her life is an inspiration to live by these words, to love unconditionally and fiercely. We will always be grateful for the years of love and memories with our beautiful Mimmy, Sunshine, Ca Ca, Da Queen.