Obituary of Alice Ann Cross

A funeral service will be held Thursday, May 29, 2014 at 11:00am at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Spirit Lake. Burial will be at Lakeview Gardens Cemetery in Spirit Lake. Alice Cross, age 80, of Spirit Lake, passed away Sunday, May 25, 2014, at Lake Park Care Center in Lake Park. Alice Ann Fett was born to Carl and Anna Fett in Hanover, Iowa on October 3, 1933, baptized on October 29, 1933, and confirmed at St. John's Lutheran Church in Storm Lake in 1947. She graduated from Storm Lake High School and attended Buena Vista College. She lived for a while in Minneapolis where she worked at Lutheran Brotherhood and Northwest Bell. She transferred to Mountain Bell in Denver, Colorado and that is where she met and married her husband, Thomas Cross in 1958. They had two daughters, Susan and Shirley. In 1962, Tom took a job with AAL in Spencer, Iowa. There she worked for the telephone company for one year, followed by a job as an administrative assistant for the public schools for over twenty years. She missed being active in service to her Lord, so she filled many offices in the Lutheran Womens Missionary League. She began as a zone president, was editor for the district, was elected District President and served a four year term as International Vice President in charge of mission projects. This position allowed her travel from coast to coast, as well as Canada and Mexico, sharing with the women where their mites were being spent. It was during her term the mites grew to $1,000,000 for a 2 year period. This was the most fulfilling and happiest time of her life. After this she took jobs of all kinds, at one time working 6 part time jobs, then she was hired to manage Carol's Corner in Okoboji. Tom retired from AAL and took at job Camp Okoboji, so they moved from Spencer to Spirit Lake. Tom died shortly after in 1997. Alice trained to be a Harvester for Christ in St. Louis and was sent to churches to work on outreach with them. She attended classes in St. Paul during three summers at The Oswald Hoffman School of Outreach. As she grew older, she realized she couldn't have a job and be on call to go to churches, so she was blessed with a job at "Boys and Berries" until her illness made it too difficult for her to work. She spent her time reading her Bible, and sharing the word when she had the opportunity, all in preparation for final journey. The final four years of her life were spent living in a variety of places, from her daughter and son-in-law's home in Denver to her other daughter's home in Houston. She always wanted to return to Iowa, so in August of 2012 she moved into Well Cove Assisted Living for a year and finally to Lake Park Care Center where she was looked after with the utmost love and care. She died there peacefully after a long struggle with Alzheimer's on Sunday, May 25, 2014. She looked forward to this "day of Joy." She will be remembered by all who loved her as a strong, yet sweet woman, who loved her Lord more than anything. She was preceded in death by her parents, sister, brother, nephew, and husband. She leaves her daughter, Susan from Houston, daughter Shirley, her husband Jim and her three grandchildren, Jacob Fear, Katie Fear, and Drew Fear from Denver, Colorado, as well as her in-laws, Ted and Phyllis Cross of Lawrence, Kansas and Donald and Rosalie Cross of Lexington, Kentucky. She is survived by several nieces and nephews, as well as great nieces and nephews. She will be specially missed by her dearest life-long friend, Shirley Kooker of Spencer, Iowa.