Eric Larry Cross

Age 79 of Dimondale, passed away Thursday, June 16, 2022.  Eric was born in 1943 in Lansing, MI, to parents Harold and Clara Cross.  In 1986 Eric married his wife Marie Dolores Pohl.

Eric often said “There is nothing more beautiful in the world than birds singing, children playing, and flowers blooming.  He loved life and lived life with a passion.  Eric often times assisted others in making life better for the people around him. He continuously made time for anyone in need and had a gift for identifying those needs. He never left any commitments unattended.

Eric graduated from MSU with a master’s in business.  His brother-in-law Max Coon called him while he was living in Connecticut with his young family, and asked if he wanted to come to work for him in Lansing, MI, at his Maxco Inc. company.   Eric agreed to join the company and moved his family to Lansing.  Eric became the COO of Maxco Inc. until he retired in 2013.

Eric was an involved member of the community and often spoke of the importance of making a difference for somebody else.  He served on the boards of Convention Visitors Bureau, CEO Circle, GLFB AD HOC, and chaired the Sparrow Planning and Development Committee. He never missed a meeting for the Lansing Rotary and sponsored exchange students on two separate occasions.  He took on the role of becoming a big brother to “little sister Satin Williams” by coaching her about life’s lessons and helped her with school assignments a few evenings around the kitchen counter.

Eric could always be seen on or near water.  He enjoyed boating from port to port, traveling with Marie to different islands, and hunting with his buddies and family at deer camp on the Thornapple River.  Eric loved to entertain with his cooking skills and disciplined himself well to “get in the gym.”

Eric was preceded in death by his mother and father; sisters, Joyce Wilburn and JoAnn Coon; brother-in-law, Max Coon; nieces, Jill Coon and JoEllen Milas; and father and mother-in-law, Norbert and Marian Pohl.

Eric has left many fond memories and air hugs to his surviving family: wife, Marie; daughter, Sally Vanos; son, Peter (Stacey) Cross; grandchildren, Mason, Clayton, Isaac, Jeremy, Olivia; special “little sister,” Satin Williams; also his surviving in-laws, Dave Wilburn, Bob and Gayle Pohl, Stan and Patty Pohl, Al and Ellen Pohl, Jerome and Ann Marie Pohl, Mel and Pam Pohl, John and Cathy Leabu, Dean and Sue Schrauben, Carol Chrichton, Mark and Phyllis Ventocilla; and many nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 23, 2022, at the Estes-Leadley Holt/Delhi Chapel, with visitation beginning at 1:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Boys and Girls Club, 4315 Pleasant Grove Road, Lansing, MI 48910 or Hospice House of Mid-Michigan, 1210 W. Saginaw Street, Lansing, MI 48915.

There are so many to thank for Eric’s care at McLaren Palliative Care (nurse Avni), Sparrow ICU and Palliative Care, and Sparrow Hospice nurses.