Obituary of Jim Cross
Harry James (Jim) Cross, 89, of Lloydminster, AB, passed away peacefully on October 13, 2024 at the University of Alberta hospital.
Jim was born on December 2, 1934 to William Cross and Ruby Sprowl in Regina, SK. As a young boy, he loved going to his grandparents’ farm to work for the summers. As a teenager, he played basketball on his school teams and became a pool shark at the Regina billiard hall. He spent quality time with his father travelling across Canada with his father’s trucking business.
In 1957, Jim met a young nurse Jo Anne Ogilvie on a blind date. During 65 years of marriage they went on to have 4 children: Dale, Cindy, Glen and Cory. They thoroughly enjoyed spending as much time as possible with their kids, watching their sports (especially hockey), travelling in their camping trailer and sharing life stories with a lot of laughter.
Jim worked for Imperial Esso, Culligan, Watkins, Hostess and Rug Doctor, which brought the family through North Battleford, Prince Albert and eventually Lloydminster. He drove every road, highway and back road in the Lloydminster area and finally hung up his keys when he was 85.
His loves of life included gardening, curling, ironing clothes, jive dancing with his beautiful wife, music on the radio (old country on 790 AM), playing his guitar, singing with the Lloydminstrels, watching and critiquing hockey (especially Cory’s team), spending time at all the grandchildren’s activities, always enjoying his “5 o’clock somewhere”, Sunday suppers with the family (laughing so hard he would have to pull out his famous hankies) and his dog, Nicky.
Jim was predeceased by his: father, William; mother, Ruby; sisters, Gwen and Lucy; brother, Laurie; mother-in-law, Anne Ogilvie; and brothers-in-law, Bob and Fred Ogilvie.
He is survived by his: wife, Jo; children, Dale (Susan), Cindy (special friend Harley), Glen (Kathy) and Cory (Shannon); 10 grandchildren; 6 great grand children; brother-in-laws, Roy Krienke and Robert Gauthier; and sister-in-law, Eva Ogilvie.
A Celebration of Life will be held at Bexson Construction Prairie Room at the Exhibition grounds in Lloydminster, SK on Friday, October 25 at 2:00 PM.
The family requests donations in lieu of flowers to either Kidsport Lloydminster, Canadian Lung Association or Canadian Kidney Association.
