Anna Evelyn Cross, 93, formerly of Richmond, Indiana, but most recently a resident of Monticello, Kentucky, died Tuesday, April 7, 2020, at the Springs of Richmond, where she was a patient attempting recovery from a recent stroke suffered while at her home. She was born September 17, 1926 at Bethesda, Kentucky to John C. Horton and Jesse Vickery Horton. She graduated from Wayne County High School and lived at home with her parents until her beau, James L. Cross, returned to Wayne County at the end of his service in the US Army during World War II.
She and Jim married on May 10, 1946. They moved to Richmond, Indiana in 1950 where they raised two sons. Evelyn, as she was usually called, worked for over twenty-five years as a timekeeper for Belden Wire and Cable Company, where Jim also worked in management. Jim retired in 1984 and ultimately, he and Evelyn settled back in Monticello where each had grown up.
While a good part of Evelyn’s life was spent supporting Jim in his roles in management at Belden as they were part of the management teams that opened satellite plants for the company in Monticello and in Tompkinsville, Kentucky, she also enjoyed cooking, traveling with Jim to many states in the US and golfing. It should be noted that Evelyn never took up the game of golf until after their retirement. She fondly recalled the one (but we are not sure “only”) time that she actually beat Jim in a round of golf. Later in life Evelyn enjoyed regular gatherings playing Rook and Bridge with several good friends. Throughout her life, she “bled blue” for her University of Kentucky Wildcat basketball teams.
Evelyn was active in her church life attending several different churches over the years and most recently attending the First Christian Church in Monticello pastored by Rev. Joe Tipton. However, she never lost contact with her home church, Bethesda Methodist Church, that was built near her birthplace on land donated by her father. Evelyn was also active in the Monticello Women’s Club, Wayne County Republican Women’s Club, and was a longtime member of the Women’s Auxiliary of the American Legion, Harry Ray Post 65 in Richmond. She was also a faithful member of the Belden Twenty-Five Year Club and regularly attended their annual parties in Richmond.
Jim died in December, 2010, after they had celebrated over sixty-four years of marriage. Also preceding her in death were her parents, three brothers and a sister. A son, Douglas Clay Cross, died in 1977 from complications of Muscular Dystrophy, and a grandson, Justin Cross, died in 2005, following a courageous five-year battle with Leukemia.
Survivors left to cherish Evelyn’s memory are literally too many to name. However, they include son, Ronald Cross (Melanie) of Liberty, Indiana; granddaughter, Whitney Mires (Jon) and great-grandsons Elijah and Asher Mires, of Longmont, Colorado; step-granddaughters Victoria (Kegan) Hoover, Natasha (Nate) Cooper, Christiana Bertsch, all of Indianapolis, Indiana; step grandson, Paul J. Bertsch, V, of Richmond, Indiana; step great-grandchildren Benjamin and Rosalie Hoover and Kennedy and Malachi Cooper, as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and great-nieces and great-nephews. She also leaves many special Monticello friends, including Gladys Boydston, Buddy and Janet Green, Dr. Pete and others too numerous to name but whose devotion, assistance and attention that they gave to Evelyn, particularly in the years since Jim’s death when she lived alone and independently, cannot be overstated.
Private services for Anna Evelyn Cross will be held at the convenience of the family. A celebration of Evelyn’s life will be held in Monticello at a later date yet to be determined. Services are being coordinated by Stegall-Berheide-Orr Funeral Home in Richmond and by Hickey Funeral Home in Monticello. Memorial contributions may be made to the Justin Cross Memorial Scholarship Fund, c/o the Wayne County Foundation, 33 South 7th Street, Richmond, Indiana, or to the National Muscular Dystrophy Foundation or to a charity of the donor’s choosing.