Dr. David Crystal

Dr. David Crystal, 81, died Sunday, March 5, 2023, at his home in Bound Brook. David was born in Newark, on July 22, 1941 from Russian Jewish parents from what now is Ukraine, in a town called Volochysk. His father was Jacob Crystal and his mother was Pauline Taffler. Both immigrants from the same town, they met in the US and raised a family in Newark. David has two younger brothers, Franklin and Norman Crystal, who survive him.

After majoring in Geology in college, an interest he kept all his life as a hobby, he attended dental school at Farleigh Dickinson University and established a dental practice in Bound Brook NJ, where he worked for nearly 45 years. He was a dedicated practitioner who loved and related to his patients and his staff. He went above and beyond the scope of practice to help to improve the oral health and the quality of life of all his patients, counseling them in all aspects of health preservation and improvement.

He was also a strong Zionist, supporting the State of Israel in every way he could. He participated as a chair and contributor to the Israel Bond Drive in Somerset county for over two decades.

But mainly, David was a family man. He loved his children and grandchildren and committed most of his free hours, to raise them to live a life that would leave a positive imprint in our world. His efforts were rewarded with a wonderful family, and he was incredibly proud of them and his legacy.

He is survived by his wife Yasmi and his 5 children: Jonathan, an interventional radiologist in New Paltz NY, married to Mena and their 3 children Maya, Ravi and Priya. Gary, a prosthodontist in Berkeley Heights NJ, married to Allyson and their 3 children Benjamin, Nathan and Ruben. Ari, a dentist in Jersey City NJ married to Jennifer and their children Lucia and Ruben. Emil, an architect in Brooklyn NY and his wife Skye and their children Sol and Rio. And his only daughter Lara, a reproductive health MD in Berkeley CA, who is married to Rob Crystal-Ornelas. They were all around him to shower him with love and support on his dying bed at his home in Bound Brook. He always considered himself a lucky man, in spite of the cancer that he fought for 27 years before dying from it. He would have described it as winning for 27 years. His glass was always full. David was an incredibly generous, courageous and outstanding individual, who touched the life of many. He will be incredibly missed by all those he leaves behind.

The funeral services will begin 10:30 AM, Tuesday, March 7, 2023, at Hagan-Chamberlain Funeral Home, 225 Mountain Avenue, Bound Brook, NJ. Burial at Bound Brook Cemetery will follow.