Lenora Cross

Lenora Routon Cross died peacefully in her sleep on September 16, 2009 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Born in Hope, Arkansas on January 5, 1920, to Ralph Routon and Lillian Carrigan Routon, Mrs. Cross was the great-granddaughter of Senator James K. Jones of Arkansas and the sister of William Ralph Routon. She attended Hope High School before studying at Hendrix College for a year and then transferring to Louisiana State University. Having skipped a number of grades in school, she graduated number one in her class from the LSU School of Journalism at the age of 19. Mrs. Cross was the first woman editor of a major university newspaper. She was a member of the Alpha Delta Pi sorority and was awarded the Delta Gamma Delta award for Most Outstanding Sorority Girl of 1939. After college, Mrs. Cross became a reporter and assistant editor for the Shreveport Times. She married LT James Cross, U.S. Army, on January 17, 1942 after their original wedding date was postponed by the attack on Pearl Harbor. LT Cross was the youngest member of the Army General Staff in U.S. Army history. He subsequently deployed to London to plan D-Day and served as a member of General George C. Marshall's staff. While her husband was at war, Mrs. Cross worked at the Pentagon approving war photos for publication and later was a reporter for the Washington staff of Life Magazine. Mrs. Cross lived in Hope with her mother where her first son James C. Cross, Jr., was born in 1944, and again when her husband served in the Korean War. A second son Jai Saul Cross was born in 1951. The Crosses were stationed in many interesting locales, including Palo Alto, California; Fort Worth, Texas; Newport, Rhode Island; Paris, France; Munich, Germany; West Point, New York; and in Northern Virginia, where Colonel Cross worked at the Pentagon. In addition to raising a family, Mrs. Cross had a career as Director of the Business and Professional Women's Foundation in Washington, DC. The Foundation improved working conditions for women throughout the United States. She was a highly esteemed executive who merited a write-up in "Who's Who" and visited the White House on several occasions. When Colonel Cross retired from military service and became a stockbroker, his generous wife devoted much of her time to volunteer work. She spent many years as a Braille transcriber who converted regular school texts into books that the blind could "read," worked as a hospital auxiliary, and served as an election official with the Democratic Party. After the demise of Colonel Cross in 2006, his widow lived independently in their retirement community in Northern Virginia, but ultimately decided to relocate to Santa Fe, New Mexico, to be near to her younger son's family. She especially enjoyed sampling the spicy New Mexican cuisine and walking beneath spacious Southwestern skies. Mrs. Cross will be remembered as a magnanimous and loving person who used her vibrant intelligence to help others. Many of her kinfolk still reside in Hope, including sister-in-law Bonnie Routon (widow of Bill Routon who died in 2001) and nephew John Routon. Mrs. Cross was blessed with three grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren: James Cross III of Boston and his children Cameron, Zachery, Avery, and Zoe; Julie Cross Boucher of Upland, California, her husband Cameron, and their children Lily, Eli, and Jackson; and Austin Cross of Fairbanks, Alaska. In lieu of flowers, please make a contribution to your local hospice organization. Arrangements by Rivera Family Mortuaries. www.riverafuneralhome.com