CROSS, Lilias Georgina

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1923 – 2022

Lilias “Lil” Georgina Cross passed away peacefully on February 14, 2022, at Spring Valley Care Centre in Kelowna, BC.  She was 98.  She is survived by her husband and best friend, Doug Cross; daughter Anne Wight; granddaughter Cheri Townley; and great-grandson Aidan Dyer.  She was predeceased by sisters Ellen & Nessie; and granddaughter Carisa Dyer.

Lil was born July 30, 1923, in Glasgow, Scotland and  eventually moved to Canada.  It was after she began working at the Daily Double Fish and Chip Diner in Vancouver, BC that her life would change.  That is where newly immigrated Doug Cross caught her attention and well… the rest is history.  The Scottish Lass from Glasgow and the British Lad from Liverpool, England tied the knot on December 27, 1974.  For the next  47 years, they have  been known to all as “Doug and Lil”,  almost always seen together.  Referred to by many friends, as the cartoon Tweety Bird’s Granny, Lil was loved by all those around her and gave new meaning to “Never a Dull Moment”.  She rarely failed to have just the right answer, like her explanation of her love of sweet things, “Many people have a sweet tooth, but I was blessed with 32 of them.”  It came as no surprise that she would eventually earn the well deserved title of “Miss Cookie Monster”, by Prisca, Gloria, Lorna, and other staff in the Sun Valley Unit of Spring Valley Care where she and Doug have lived since 2018.

Lil found joy in many things.  Among them were gardening and her love of dogs and horses, but high on that list was her true love for fashionable clothes and shopping.  And almost as much as shopping, was her love of going out – of course that would include many an outing in their little black Suzuki Swift, frequenting their favourite coffee shops and local restaurants, knowing in advance what was on the menus.

Doug and Lil have lived in various areas of BC including Vancouver, Prince George, Armstrong, Keremeos, Westbank, and Kelowna.  They loved to travel, so with Doug’s early retirement came the much longed for freedom of road trips in their motorhome throughout the USA and into Mexico.  They took great pleasure in reliving and sharing their memories about the places and friends they visited along the way.

Lil will be fondly remembered for her zest for life, her quick wit and sense of humour, and last but not least that charming little “Scottish” accent.  For such a little person, she will be leaving behind a huge void.
Lil, being one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, has always had a strong faith in God and the Bible.  Because of this, all through her years she has taken great comfort in knowing there is a promise of a resurrection to a life without sickness or death.

We sincerely want to thank Dr. Kipnis, Amy Gordon and management at Spring Valley Care Center,  and especially the nurses, care aids, and recreational staff in Sun Valley Unit for the compassionate caring home they have created for Lil during the three plus years she has been there.

There will be no memorial service at this time.

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