Randy Keith Cross, 74, passed away peacefully at his home in Decatur on Monday, March 10, surrounded by family and friends.
Randy was preceded in death by his parents, Johnny and Marie Cross, sister Deanna Seay, and brother-in-law Jimmy Seay, nephew Jonathan Seay, and great-nephew Zacharie Nielsen. He is survived by his wife of 21 years, Kim; son Alex Sims (Jessica) and grandson Gavin; sister Vicki Nielsen (Norris); brother-in-law Richard Sims, and a host of beloved nieces and nephews.
Born August 2, 1950, in St. Joseph, TN, Randy graduated from Loretto High School. After earning his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of North Alabama, he was awarded a Ph.D. in English from Ole Miss in 1977.
Distinguished for his scholarly work on Mark Twain and Tennessee author T. S. Stribling, Randy came to Calhoun Community College in 1982. There, for almost 40 years, he excelled in the classroom, charming and entertaining countless students even as he inspired them to love learning and work to meet his high performance standards. Twice during his tenure at Calhoun Randy was awarded a prestigious Fulbright Scholarship, once to Brazil in 1988-1989 and again to Portugal.
Randy’s colleagues knew him as a loyal friend and a witty and mischievous companion over lunch or at a professional conference. He was an endless teller of funny stories. Never happier than when he was performing, Randy took his stories on the road, providing entertainment and badly needed comic relief at professional meetings for doctors, linguists, sociologists, machinists, and cookware makers. He reached a longstanding goal last year when he published a book of personal essays, Through Old Ground.
Randy served in the Tennessee Army National Guard, retiring in 2001 as a Lieutenant Colonel. He was a devoted member of the Beltline Church of Christ.
A funeral will be held at Southside Church of Christ in St. Joseph, Tennessee on Friday, March 14. Visitation 11 – 1 with service to follow. There will also be a celebration of life at Calhoun Community College on March 25 at 6:00 p.m. at the Alabama Center for the Arts, 133 2nd Avenue N.E, Performing Arts Building 2, Decatur, Alabama.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Dr. Randy Cross Memorial Scholarship at Calhoun Community College. http://weblink.donorperfect.com/DrRandyCross
