Reverend Freeman Grant Cross Jr.

The Reverend Freeman Grant Cross Jr., retired, passed away on July 27, 2021. Father Cross was born May 22, 1935 in Knoxville, TN to Freeman and Jean Cross. He was an honor graduate of the Tennessee Military Institute and earned an appointment to West Point, graduating in 1957. He also attended the University of Illinois for postgraduate study, where he earned a Masters in Engineering and met his wife, Emilie Cornelia Wognum. Freeman and Emilie were married Dec 6, 1961 and were together 59 years until Emilie’s death in March of this year. LTC Cross served 21 years in the U.S.Army before his retirement in 1978. A Combat Veteran and Master Engineer, LTC Cross was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division and overseas deployments including Korea, twice to Vietnam, and to Europe where he went to various areas in Eastern Europe, including supporting relief efforts in the 1963 Skopje earthquake. LTC Cross finished his military career in Savannah, Ga. as Deputy District Engineer. While in this assignment, he worked to preserve historical maps and charts of the coastal waterways found in the archives of the Corps of Engineers. He also led the work on familiar reservoirs, bringing West Point lake to completion and starting the Richard B. Russell dam project. Mr. Cross transitioned from the military to become Assistant Director of Engineering and eventually Director of Port Planning and Harbor Development at the Georgia Ports Authority, working to improve the capability and capacity of ports of coastal Georgia. In 1986 he answered a call to God’s work that he first felt in Korea. He attended Seabury Western Theological Seminary in Evanston Illinois. Father Cross graduated in 1989 and returned to Georgia to be ordained as a deacon and then a priest in the Episcopal Church. Pastoral care was his passion. For three decades he ministered to several churches and communities in south Georgia, completing a life of service to his country and the communities in which he lived. Father Cross was preceded in death by his wife Emilie (September 6, 1942- March 22, 2021). He leaves behind two children, Alex (Lynn) and Theresa and three grandchildren, Kayla, Stephen, and Kathryn. He was a generous and loving soul who will be missed. A memorial service will be held on September 4, 2021 11:00 AM at St Paul’s Episcopal Church, 212 North Jefferson St, Albany, GA 31701. A private interment will be held at the columbarium of the Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit in Dawson GA with a reception at the family home following. Those who wish can make a donation to the Alzheimer's Association (https://www.alz.org) in lieu of flowers ...

Reverend Freeman Grant Cross Jr.

May 22, 1935 - July 27, 2021