Sarah Hallmark Cross

She was born in Gadsden, Alabama on September 11, 1940, to the late Howell Taylor Hallmark and Kathryn Ireland Hallmark. She was educated in the Birmingham Public Schools, graduating from Phillips High School in 1958. She attended the University of Alabama where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Master of Arts degree. Her educational experience included teaching at the American school in Mexico City. She was active in campus activities, including serving as president of her sorority, Delta Zeta. She was teaching at Edgewood Elementary School when her mother and her mother's best friend conspired to have her meet Richard Cross who was then a medical student. The attraction was immediate and they remained inseparable for 59 years. She has two sons, Kevin and Kenneth. Her greatest joy was devoting herself to creating a nurturing home for her family, a home where her children's friends loved to gather. She was an avid reader and loved sitting in the shade at the beach with a good book. She loved to travel ,was an excellent cook, and loved arranging flowers. Sarah was an avid participant in the Bounce Back cardiac rehab program. She was a member of Dauphin Way United Methodist Church, where she participated in a number of ministries, including serving as a substitute driver for Meals on Wheels, which meant that she was frequently delivering meals. Between that and driving her children to and from school and various activities, she was almost always on the road.

She is survived by her husband of 59 years, M. Richard Cross, MD, her two sons and four grandchildren- Kevin (Millie) and their two children, Andrew and Sarah; and Kenneth and his two sons, Taylor and William. She is also survived by several cousins. The family would like to thank Dr. Timothy Hecker and her doctors at Diagnostic Medical Center at Mobile Infirmary, the nurses and aides from SAAD's home hospice for their excellent care, Minnie Beard, and Jackie Tucker who started as a sitter but quickly became a devoted caregiver and friend.

A graveside service for family and close friends will be held at Pine Crest Cemetery at 10am on Tuesday, October 29, followed by a visitation at 11:30am and a memorial service at 12:30pm at Dauphin Way United Methodist Church. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Dauphin Way UMC, Meals on Wheels, Camp Rapahope (a ministry of the medical society for children with cancer), the Alzheimer's Foundation, or to a favorite charity.