Woody Cross
(1951-2017)
On March 27, 2017 the world lost a great man. There were few people in this community who didn’t know and love Woody Cross, he touched so many lives and his loss is so much more than heartbreaking. After a tough battle with a very rare form of cancer called a neuroendocrine tumor, Woody passed away quietly at home surrounded by his three girls and family. In true Woody Cross fashion he fought hard to the finish line, never losing his humor and wit and kept his loved ones laughing until the end.
Woody was born and raised in Kamloops, BC. He attended NorKam High School where he was part of the student council and participated in track, baseball, hockey and sports of all kinds. At Cariboo College he was President of the Student Council and became heavily involved with Boys and Girls club. This laid the groundwork for a life long passion and involvement in community service and generosity of helping others.
In 1986 Woody discovered a passion for running and joined the Kelowna Running Club. It was here that he found his place and created life long friendships - running with buddies was probably his favorite thing to do. He was an incredible man, completing 18 marathons and countless long distance races.
Professionally, Woody’s career with the federal government spanned 33 years, and most of those specifically with Canada Immigration. He always had a story to tell of those busy days where his running often came in handy. He loved the friendships and relationships he built through the many years of service he gave. After retirement, Woody spent years on his own helping people navigate their way to becoming a Canadian Citizen.
Woody’s greatest achievement of all was his family. He married his wife Kathie in 1974, and they had 43 years wonderful years together, all of those in south Kelowna among family and friends. As his two daughters got older, he went from playing on his own sports teams to coaching theirs and spent many weekends coaching soccer and ringette or driving kids to and from practices, games and tournaments.
He and Kathie loved Maui and they spent time there each year relaxing on the beach and running races in the sun. We know he’s either running one of his favorite routes or maybe sipping a beer on Poòlenalena beach right now.
There is no way to sum up the life of this wonderful man, but we can say he was admired and loved by many. Woody leaves behind his loving wife Kathie, his daughter Kim and husband Dustin, his daughter Katie and husband Andrew and his grandchildren Wallace and Mackenzie along with his brother Basil and extended family. Woody’s Mum Connie and his grandson Lochlan predeceased him.
A celebration to honor Woody will be held at 2pm, April 8th 2017 in St. Mary’s Church followed by a gathering at East Kelowna Community Hall. In lieu of flowers, we are accepting donations for the placement of a memorial bench in Woody’s name. To make a donation go to: https://www.gofundme.com/Woodysmemorialbench. Condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.springfieldfuneralhome.com, 250-860-7077.