Jerry Cross, age 85

Jerry Cross

 

A celebration of the life of coach Jerry Cross, age 85, longtime Buffalo, Wyo., resident who passed away quietly at the Johnson County Health Care Center in Buffalo Thursday afternoon, Aug. 11, surrounded by his family, will be held Saturday, Aug. 20, at 10:00 a.m. in Coach Cross’ old gym, which is now the Bomber Mountain Civic Center Gym in Buffalo. 
Visitation will be held at the Harness Funeral Home Chapel on Friday from 1:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. Interment will be in Willow Grove Cemetery with graveside services to follow the funeral. There will be a reception held in the gym following the graveside service. 
Donations in Coach Cross’ memory may be made to the Brooks Joshua Anderson Foundation in care of the Harness Funeral Home at 351 N. Adams in Buffalo. Online condolences may be made at www.harnessfuneralhome.com 
Jerald Clair Cross was born on June 29, 1931, in Rapid City, S.D., to Haver and Thalia Cross. He lived in several towns in western South Dakota as a child before the family moved to Philip, S.D., where he graduated from Philip High School. 
After graduating from high school, he went to Black Hills State Teachers College in Spearfish, S.D. 
He was married to Dorothy (Joan) West on Nov. 26, 1950, in Philip and they made their home in Spearfish, where he continued his education until graduating from Black Hills State in 1954. 
Jerry and Joan then moved to Buffalo, Wyo., where he began his career as a physical education teacher, head basketball/football coach and activities director. During his time as athletic director, Jerry added track, wrestling and all girls’ athletic programs at Clear Creek School. During his 34 years coaching, Coach Cross’ teams won 37 district championships, including his 1957 Bandit football squad that finished the season undefeated, untied and unscored upon. 
Coach Cross had numerous opportunities to coach at Buffalo High School, but understood the lifelong impact he could make on each student athlete by creating and maintaining a culture of high expectations and discipline at Clear Creek School. Go Bandits!!! Coach Cross had never been a self-promoter and credits his success to the support he received at home from his wife Joan, their four daughters, and the hard work of thousands of student athletes he had the opportunity to coach. In 1970, he was awarded the JCSD Teacher of the Year. In 1979-80, he earned the Wyoming Coaches Association Junior High Coach of the Year Award. In 2002, Jerry was inducted into the American Football Coaches Foundation Hall of Fame, and in 2012 he was inducted into the Wyoming Coaches Association Hall of Fame. He retired in 1989 and lived in Buffalo until the time of his death.
Jerry is survived by his loving wife of 65 years, Joan Cross of Buffalo, Wyo.; four daughters, Karen Cross, Kathy Born and her husband, Greg, and Janice Anderson and her husband, Craig, all of Buffalo, and Nancy Ratcliff and her husband, Doug, of Gillette, Wyo.; eight grandchildren, Lee, Adam, Laurie, Kayla, Joshua, Jerad and Jenna, Tina and many other foster grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren, Skyla, Tate, Bridger, Olivia, Kinley, Pippa, Violet, and Landon; sister-in-law, Mary Ellen Cross of Yankton, S.D.; sister, Rita Ainslie of Sacramento, Calif.; two brothers, Alan Cross and his wife, Carol, of Plymouth, Minn., and Don Cross and his wife, Kathy, of Creston, Iowa. 
He was preceded in death by his parents, Haver and Thalia Cross; one brother, Tom Cross; and a great-grandson, Brooks Joshua Anderson. 
 

The Pioneer Review

221 E. Oak Street
Philip, SD 57567
Telephone: (605) 859-2516
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