Ruth Cunningham Cross

1926 - 2021

Ruth Cunningham Cross

March 15, 1926 - January 17, 2021

Ruth Cunningham Cross, of Charlottesville, Virginia and Manchester, Massachusetts, died peacefully at home on Sunday, January 17, 2021 at the age of 94. She was predeceased by her first husband, William Henry Brown, and her second husband, Robert Dougherty Cross.

Ruth was raised in Brookline, Massachusetts by Ruth Paine Cunningham and Alan Cunningham. She often recounted stories of her inspiring teachers at The Windsor School, escapades from her year at The Madeira School, and her classes at Smith and Radcliffe Colleges.

When she married Bill Brown in 1947, Ruth began a long connection with the academic world, at Yale and then Swarthmore College, where they raised their three children. After his untimely death, she attended a course at the Barnes Foundation and nurtured her keen appreciation for art of all kinds. She loved sharing her thoughts on art with family and friends, and she used her significant expertise to benefit numerous artistic endeavors.

Ruth returned to life at Swarthmore after marrying Bob Cross, finally moving their academic life to UVA in Charlottesville in 1972. She and Bob had the pleasure of living in Pavilion VI on Thomas Jefferson's lawn until Bob retired. Ruth's many contributions to the Charlottesville community started at the University of Virginia Bayly Art Museum (now The Fralin Museum of Art) where she was instrumental in the reopening of the museum in 1974. Ruth worked there over 20 years, and she and Bob were honored as significant benefactors in 2003. One of her most satisfying projects was helping to sponsor the mural that Lincoln Perry created for the lobby of Cabell Hall at UVA. Ruth made other contributions to the Charlottesville community as an active volunteer for Reading for the Blind and Literacy Volunteers of Charlottesville/Albemarle at the Jefferson School City Center. As her grandchildren can attest, she was a wonderful, expressive reader.

As she was approaching the end of her life, Ruth was asked about her religious preferences and responded, "my family is my religion." She forged wonderful and unique connections with them all including her three children, Prudence Brown, William Brown and Paula Tyack; her two stepchildren, Frederick Cross and Pamela Guthrie; her grandchildren and stepgrandchildren, Max (deceased) and Henry Brown; Nicholas, Sophia and Eliza Tyack; Emma and Julia Brown-Bernstein; Sam and Emily Cross; Christopher and Sally Guthrie; and her new great-stepgrandchild, Jake. All of them were dear to her heart. Ruth is also survived by her sister, Camilla Blackman, her brother, Timothy Cunningham, and a host of nieces and nephews. Her lifetime of summers spent in Manchester with her extended family gave her great joy.

Ruth was a woman of distinction. She had an impeccable sense of fashion and style, and was both modest and elegant. She enjoyed finding common ground for conversation with all.

Ruth played the piano and loved music. She was an active participant in many musical venues including the Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival, the Charlottesville Symphony, the Tuesday Evening Concert Series, Opera at the Paramount Theater, Rockport Music, and WTJU.

Ruth shared with her many friends and neighbors the delicious products of her cooking talents, often using food as a way to bring people together. Family members would frequently ask for her recipes and cooking tips. Ruth connected to a variety of social communities, and had lively groups of lunch and dinner partners with whom she shared her enthusiasms, cultural, literary, and political. Having lived alone since 2003, she felt grateful to have the friendship of wonderful neighbors and friends.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions be made to The Fralin Museum at the University of Virginia https://uvafralinartmuseum.virginia.edu. Due to restrictions related to COVID-19, there will be no public celebration of Ruth's life at this time. However, everyone is invited to share their thoughts and memories of Ruth at a website in development.