Winifred Dickson Foxlee ‘’Winnie’’ Cross

April 9, 1925 - October 23, 2020

LA MESA, CA — Winifred Foxlee was born to Fred and Catharine Foxlee on April 9, 1925 in Los Angeles, joining her sisters Helen, Margaret, and Barbara.

She graduated from George Washington High School in 1942 and from Pepperdine College in 1946 with a major in Biology and minor in English Literature. In her freshman year she met Frank Cross, the man she would marry in 1946 after he returned from his service in the U.S. Navy during World War II.

After graduation, Winnie worked at Los Angeles Water and Power in the microbiology laboratory. In 1949, when Frank was hired to teach mathematics and chemistry at Grossmont High School, the family relocated to La Mesa, CA.

For the next fifteen years, Winnie devoted herself to rearing their children and often volunteering at the La Mesa Church of Christ, where she was a faithful member for seventy years.

In 1965, she received her Secondary Teaching Credential in biology. She substituted in various schools until 1967 when she took a position at Midway Continuation School, which had been established for students who could not succeed in a regular educational setting. Winnie taught there for twenty-four years, believing her mild, non-threatening demeanor and respectful actions brought her success. In her eyes the job “fit like a glove.”

Winnie’s strong Christian faith and love for Jesus motivated her to live a life of service. After retiring in 1991, she volunteered in the Valhalla High School library. That experience enabled her to set up a library in her church, amassing more than 1500 volumes. She taught Bible School classes, and corresponded with international students enrolled in World Bible School. She also worked as a Mary Kay consultant for thirty years. Classical and sacred music, daily exercise, writing and reading gave her comfort and strength. In 2003, she enrolled in a class and proceeded to write her autobiography. She worked on it until shortly before her death.

Winnie is survived by her five daughters and families: Caryn Cross; Carla, Allen, and son Jeremy Holden; Claudia Cross and son Joel Ehrig; Carolyn Cross; Connie and Michael Bergsma and daughter Deborah Strasser (Jonathan), their children Joshua, Naomi, and Andrew Strasser.

Winnie was predeceased by her parents, three sisters, and husband of fifty-four years. The memorial service will be held on the one-year anniversary of her death, October 23, 2021, and her remains placed beside Frank’s at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery.

Well done, good and faithful servant! Enter into the joy of your Lord.

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