Earl N Cross

February 13, 1937 - November 5, 2020

Earl Neil Cross passed away on Thursday, November 5, 2020. He was born on February 13, 1937 in Lingle, Wyoming, the youngest of five children born to Calvin and Elsie Cross. He grew up on a small farm and his love of family and farming carried with him throughout his life. Earl married Grace Harris on September 8, 1957. He is survived by Gracie, their four children: Joel (Loretta), Jay (Mary Jane), Dawn (Ray) Melton, and Tracy (Jim) Keener, and numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren. Not to be excluded are his many “adopted” children, many nieces, cousins and friends. Earl was curious, intelligent, daring and fun. (In addition to being obstinate and opiniated.) He was a man of great faith. He loved work. He held a variety of jobs when he was in school, including thinning beets, gas station attendant, and cattle hand. During college, he worked in the research labs at the University of Wyoming and drove a milk truck. After receiving his degree in Agronomy from UW in January of 1959, he was the Assistant Superintendent of the University of Wyoming Experimental Farm in Torrington, Wyoming, before becoming an SCS Soil Conservationist in Lingle, Wheatland, Newcastle and Greybull from 1961 – 1971. He and Grace bought a farm in Basin in 1968. Earl raised hay, sugar beets, barley and corn, had a feedlot, and then became a co-owner of a fertilizer business. He and Grace returned to Lingle in 1979 where he was the owner-operator of a fertilizer and chemical retail plant until 1981. Earl returned to the University of Wyoming in 1981 and received his second bachelor’s degree in education in 1982. He was a Vo-Ag teacher in Glendo for two years. Earl returned to work at the Soil Conservation Service in 1987, working at the Torrington, Wheatland, and Farson offices. He retired in 1997 after adding many more people to his “adopted family.” In addition to the above jobs, Earl was the Municipal Court Judge, police officer, school bus driver, transportation specialist at DSI, clothing salesman (never shy to let you know it did not look good!) and grocery courtesy clerk aka story teller (some of them were even true). He somehow found time to serve his Church, drive a team of horses on wagon trains, share his love of music, drink coffee and tell lies at the farmer’s table at the Stagecoach Café, cheer on athletes at high school football and basketball games, and track and field, and countless other endeavors. But his most important work was as a husband, father, grandfather, uncle and teacher. Earl was a youth leader in several churches, and active in FFA and 4-H. He loved people, and he and Grace’s table was open to everyone. They hosted many gatherings at “Cross Park” over the years. He and his harmonica provided entertainment to several generations. His quick wit and many “Earlisms” will be sorely missed. No one loved sweet corn more than Earl. We will all think of him every time we shuck an ear of corn.