Gerald William Cross

Gerald (Jerry) William Cross went to be with his Lord and Savior early Monday morning on April 19th 2021, at the age of 88. Jerry was born September 6, 1932 to Frank Harlow Cross and Lucille (Shingledecker) Cross in Kalamazoo. He married Bertha M. Grinnell on May 3, 1953.

Jerry served in the Army during the Korean War from December of '52 until November of '54. He eventually got a job at the Kalamazoo Label Company which he later retired from in 1994. Jerry was a handy man who always had a project going. He loved to fish and cheer on his son and daughter, and then later, his grandchildren at their sporting events. Jerry and Bertha bought several rental properties which he enjoyed fixing up and renting and after their retirement they flipped several houses. He resided at Sojourners Place Senior Living since June 2015 where he was well loved by staff members.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife Bertha; son, Joel Cross and daughter, Denise A. Cross (Leppard). Jerry is survived by his son, David (Teri) Cross of Kalamazoo; 4 grandchildren: Jordan, Alec (Lauren) and Bryant Cross and Elizabeth (Ben) Ulman; 4 great-grandchildren: Ayla, Micah, Addie and Cora Ulman; brother, Bob (Barb) Cross of Redding, CA and sister, Sharon (George) Rankens of Hastings, MI.

A Celebration of Jerry's Life will take place May 22, 2021 from 1:30-5:00 p.m. at his son's house at 7757 S. 10th St., Kalamazoo 49009. Feel free to dress casual, bring a chair and sit a while and reminisce with more of Jerry's friends and family.

For a long-lasting memorial, in honor of Jerry's time spent as a junior high Sunday school teacher and camp counselor, please consider giving to West Michigan Youth for Christ, where his grandson currently serves. To donate, go to wmyfc.org There is a "memorial gift" box to type in "Gerald Cross". Please visit Gerald's personalized webpage to leave a condolence or memory of him at https://www.langelands.com