Obituary of Elayne K. Cross

SLINGERLANDS Elayne K. Cross, 92, died peacefully, February 8, 2020, at her home of over 65 years. Born in Detroit, MI, she was the daughter of Frank and Frances Kerwinski and the eldest sister to seven siblings. She moved to Albany as a young adult. For over 35 years Elayne worked handling the books at the dental office of Esmay and Karol, and she retired at the age of 84. She was an avid reader, gardener, world traveler, tennis player, bridge player and duplicate bridge partner. Elayne was generous with her time as a volunteer for many groups and organizations: Silver Bay YMCA of the Adirondacks, Delmar Progress Club, Bethlehem Garden Club,The Garden Study Club, The Iris Society, The Council of the Albany Institute of History and Art, ESPA, and the Albany Symphony Vanguard. She was on the sidelines of every game of her three grandchildren with whom she lived. Elayne was the mother of Christina (Art) Kelly of Melbourne, FL, C. David Cross II of Bradenton, FL and Carolyn (Shawn) Daley of Slingerlands, and she was grandmother of Nathan, Nicholas, and Katherine Kelly and Matt, Margaret, and Mark Daley. She was predeceased by her siblings Betty Parker, Robert Kerwinski, Ralph Kerwinski, Geraldine Bongiorno, and Janet Kerwinski, and survived by her sisters Leona Phillips (Gary) of Petoskey, MI and Carol (Bob) Russell of Petaluma, California. Although dementia took away her memory, it never took away her warm smile, quick wit, sense of adventure, competitive spirit and her can do attitude. Her legacy will be the importance of living in the moment, as she did so graciously and filled with gratitude. Those wishing to honor Elayne can give of your time in reaching out to or visiting an elderly person in your life, or you can make a donation to Silver Bay YMCA of the Adirondacks. A celebration of her life will be held this summer, August 1 at 11am, at Silver Bay, NY. “ My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Psalm 73:26