Mary Ann Woolridge Cross

Mrs. Mary Ann Woolridge Cross, 90, passed away in her sleep on Friday, June 18, 2021. Born on January 9, 1931 to the late Wilbur Wyatt Woolridge and Mary Emma Ward Woolridge in Norfolk, Virginia, Mrs. Cross graduated from Randolph-Macon Woman’s College, where she played basketball and prepared for a career in elementary school teaching. She married Wilbur Rawls Cross, II, of Suffolk, Virginia, in 1953, and they made their home in Richmond, Virginia. She was a devoted member of Reveille United Methodist Church, the costume manager for The Heritage School of Dance recitals, and an avid bridge player and community volunteer. Mr. and Mrs. Cross moved to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in 2006, where Mrs. Cross quickly became active in her Circle, a dedicated congregant of Centenary United Methodist Church, and a member of the Emma Bahnson Service League, The 12:01 Bridge Club, and the Thursday Luncheon Club. A doting mother and grandmother, she was drawn to children of all ages and became a pseudo-mom to many. She showered children and loved ones with thoughtfully selected, beautifully wrapped gifts and continued throughout her life to forge new friendships and connections. She loved holidays and took pride in decorating her home for the changing seasons and in cultivating her garden. She was also a loyal UVA basketball fan. She believed in iron-pressed clothes, carefully coifed hair, shined shoes, and handwritten letters. Along with her parents, she was preceded in death by Wilbur, her husband of 59 years, and her son-in-law Blair Bolton. She is survived by three daughters – Susan Bolton of Richmond, Virginia; Elizabeth Hellmuth (John) of Lexington, Virginia; and Nancy Schneider (Andy) of Winston-Salem, North Carolina – and three grandsons – Rawls Bolton (Julie) and Bradley Schneider of New York City, New York and USN Ensign Joel Schneider of Niceville, Florida. A memorial service will be held at The Chapel at Centenary United Methodist Church on Saturday, June 26, 2021 at 11:00 am. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in her memory to Centenary United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 58, Winston-Salem, NC 27102 (Attn. Business Office) or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.