MARY ADA VERNA CROSS OF CHAMPION, ALBERTA PASSED AWAY JANUARY 6, 2001 AT VULCAN COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTRE AT THE AGE OF 72 YEARS.
VERNA WAS BORN AUGUST 19, 1928 IN ARMADA, ALBERTA TO JOHN AND RUTH JOHNSON. RUTH PASSED AWAY IN DECEMBER THE SAME YEAR. VERNA WAS RAISED BY HER GRANDPARENTS CHARLES AND ELIZABETH GAY WHO CAME OUT WEST FROM SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. AND FOUR UNCLES. SHE ATTENDED SCHOOL IN VULCAN WHERE SHE LIVED FROM 1936 TO1945. IN 1943 VERNA MET HARVEY FRANCIS CROSS AT A DANCE IN CHAMPION, WHILE HE WAS HOME ON LEAVE VISITING HIS FAMILY WHO LIVED IN CARMANGAY . HER FAMILY MOVED TO HIGH RIVER IN 1945. HARVEY WAS DISCHARGED FROM THE NAVY IN 1946 AND BEGAN0 WORKING IN CALGARY FOR GREYHOUND, THEY VISITED A LOT AND THEY DECIDED TO MARRY IN APRIL OF THAT YEAR IN HIGH RIVER. THEIR FIRST HOME WAS IN CALGARY, THEN THEY MOVED TO BARONS FOR A SHORT TIME. HARVEY WAS INJURED, SO THEY MOVED BACK TO HIGH RIVER IN OCTOBER 1947 WHERE THEIR FIRST SON WAS BORN. VERNA BEGAN WORKING AT POWELL’S BAKERY IN 1958 AND HARVEY TRAVELLED TO MANY PLACES FOR WORK. IN SEPTEMBER 1963 THE FAMILY WITH FIVE CHILDREN, MOVED TO CRANBROOK, THEN THE FOLLOWING MAY, A NEW JOB STARTED AT KAMLOOPS AND THE FAMILY ALL MOVED INTO AN APARTMENT IN AUGUST 1964 AND THEN LATER PURCHASED A HOUSE, WHERE VERNA HAD RESIDED UNTIL MOVING BACK HOME TO CHAMPION IN 1981, WHERE SHE HAS RESIDED SINCE.
IN HER EARLY YEARS VERNA LEARNED TO DANCE AND CONTINUED DANCING THROUGHOUT HER TEEN YEARS. SHE WAS KNOWN AS A HISTORIAN AS SHE SPENT MUCH TIME RESEARCHING FAMILY HISTORY.
LOVING MOTHER OF THREE DAUGHTERS SHANNON (JOHN) MERTZ OF LADYSMITH, B.C., COLLEEN (BOB GRANT) GAGNE OF KAMLOOPS, B.C., DONNA (DONNA BLYTH) CROSS OF SAVONA, B.C., TWO SONS WARREN (JUDY) OF KAMLOOPS, B.C. JAY OF CHAMPION, SIX GRANDCHILDREN MELISSA (TERRY) HOGG OF HEFFLEY CREEK, B.C., SHEREEN (MIKE LACEY) MERTZ OF NANAIMO, B.C., ANGELA CROSS OF WILLIAMS LAKE, DEANNA (CRAIG) TOMNIUK OF KAMLOOPS, B.C. , KRISTY CROSS, BOB CROSS BOTH OF KAMLOOPS, TWO GREAT GRANDCHILDREN PARKER LACEY OF NANAIMO , TAYLOR TOMNIUK OF KAMPLOOPS , TWO SISTERS RUBY BROWN OF VULCAN, CLARA (ROY) JONES OF LANGLEY, B.C., SPECIAL COUSIN KEN GAY OF VULCAN, NUMEROUS NIECES AND NEPHEWS.
VERNA WAS PREDECEASED BY HER HUSBAND HARVEY IN 1993, GRAND-DAUGHTER MONIQUE GAY IN 1994 AND HER PARENTS.
RELATIVES AND FRIENDS WERE INVITED TO PRAYERS AT ST. ANDREW’S CATHOLIC CHURCH, VULCAN MONDAY JANUARY 8, 2001 AT 7:00 P.M.
FUNERAL MASS WAS HELD TUESDAY JANUARY 9, 2OO1 AT 11:00 A.M. AT ST. ANDREW’S CATHOLIC CHURCH, VULCAN WITH REV. FR. PHILLIP LEE CELEBRANT.
CASKET BEARERS WERE WARREN CROSS, JAY CROSS, COLLEEN GAGNE, DONNA CROSS, PAT MOORE AND KENT DAVIS.
INURNMENT WILL TAKE PLACE IN THE HIGHWOOD CEMETERY AT A LATER DATE.
IN LIEU OF FLOWERS, TRIBUTES IN VERNA’S MEMORY COULD BE MADE TO THE ALBERTA CANCER FOUNDATION 1331 – 29 ST. N.W. CALGARY, T2N 4N2.
ARRANGEMENTS IN CARE OF VULCAN FUNERAL HOME. DIRECTORS. TELEPHONE 1-403-485-2633. E-MAIL CONDOLENCES TO vulcanfuneralhome@hotmail.com.