James Cross
April 11, 1926 — February 22, 2013
North Austin Location
James Ralph Cross, 86, passed away peacefully on Feb 22, 2013 at the Regency Village Care Center in Austin, Texas. Jim was a devoted and loving father, talented electrician and woodworker, proud of his WWII Naval service, loved music, and passionate about baking pies and cookies.
He is survived by two daughters, Lynn Cross Erickson and her husband, Steve, of Austin, Texas and Sandra L. Cross of Chicago, Illinois; a brother, Robert M. Cross and his wife, Nancy, of St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Merrill and Dagmar (Holm) Cross; wife, Janet Cross; sister, Norma Remus; nephews Jeff Smith and Lincoln Cross; and niece, Mary Kieckhoefer.
Born on April 11, 1926 in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Jim was educated in the local schools. He graduated from the Milwaukee School of Engineering with an Associate Degree.
Jim enlisted in the Navy on June 06, 1944. He was stationed at Great Lakes, Illinois and St. Louis, Missouri, and served in the Philippines aboard the USS Rigel. He was awarded the American Area Ribbon; Asiatic-Pacific Area Ribbon; Philippine Liberation Ribbon and the World War II Victory Ribbon. He was Honorably Discharged on June 23, 1946.
Right after the war, Jim worked at Nash Motors, which later became AMC, as an assembly line worker. In 1948, he married Janet Johnson and raised a family. While working at AMC he was an electrician, Supervisor and retired in 1981 as an Electrical Engineer after 35 years of service. He was an avid bowler, golfer, and baker winning multiple ribbons at the Kenosha County Fair and the WI State Fair. In 2006, at the age of 80, he moved to Austin, Texas to live with his daughter and her husband.
The family would like to thank Dr. Joe Spann, Dr. John Fisher and the staff at the VA for the extraordinary care provided to their father.
A celebration of Jim's life will be held in Austin, Texas on March 09 at 11:00 AM at the Oakhill United Methodist Church and in Kenosha, Wisconsin on a date and time to be determined.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to a charity of your choice in Jim's name.