Patricia Brandon Cross

She was born in 1941, the daughter of Faye Louise Brandon Cross and William Seth Cross, Jr. Their home at the time was Suffolk VA, and Pat thrived in early childhood there among the many and loving Cross families and relations. When her family moved to NC in 1948, Greensboro became her lifetime home.

Pat attended public schools and graduated Greensboro Senior High School, then attended Adirondack Southern for two years, including a semester in Mexico. A former Girl Scout, Pat was a dedicated and frequent volunteer, notably including decades as a hostess for patients and family at Wesley Long/Cone Cancer Center.

Grace United Methodist Church was a cornerstone for her faith, friendships and service throughout her adult years. Pat helped with child care during services and later became a weekly assistant distributing the church bulletin. She was recognized with a lifetime membership in the Women’s Society of Christian Service.

Pat loved and related to young children and she worked for many years in child daycare facilities. She also worked as the driver for a vision-impaired social worker in the Department of Social Services, visiting blind clients. Her remarkable memory and this exposure to streets and destinations all over the city made her the family’s navigator long before GPS technology.

That incredible memory also included dates and events, and always amazed and entertained her family as she recounted vacations, celebrations and other family activities in incredible and accurate detail 40 or 50 years later. Pat was truly the family’s institutional historian.

When she moved to Friends Home West, Pat again benefited from a supportive and inclusive community where she found many new friends. And as her health deteriorated, the staff at Friends West HealthCare were a caring and professional comfort for Pat and her family.

Her father, William S. Cross Jr., survives Pat, as do her siblings Pete Cross (Pat), Nancy Armfield (Dan), and Kathy Cross. She loved the frequent family gatherings which enabled her to keep in touch with her nieces and nephews: Kim Armfield Dedmon (Kenny), Katie Armfield Tomayko (Matt), Suzanne Armfield Smith (Chuck), Elizabeth Cross Bridges (Jim), Jennifer Cross Green (Mike), Seth Cross (Stephanie), Grace Donaldson O’Mahoney (Will), Gaines Donaldson Douglas (Dixon) and Jamie Donaldson.

Memorial contributions to Greensboro NC organizations which reflect upon Pat’s interests might include Grace UMC, Friends Home West or Peacehaven Community Farm.

Hanes Lineberry Elm Street Chapel assisted the family with a private graveside memorial service June 9, 2018.