Bette Cross

1932 - 2015

Bette Cross
May 21, 1932 - May 13, 2015
Former Resident of Cupertino
"The day of our greatest pain is her greatest JOY".
It is with great sadness that the Cross daughters announce the passing of their mother, Bette Marie (Cronenberger) Cross. She was 82 years old living in Folsom, CA, close to her eldest daughter, Laurie. She left for heaven on Wednesday, May 13th, 2015, with Laurie at her side to join her childhood sweetheart and soul mate, Jack, who left us this past September.
Bette was born on May 21, 1932 in Nampa, ID, to Mark and Pearl Cronenberger. She grew up in Twin Falls, ID, where she graduated from Twin Falls High School (1950) and was a well-known pianist/organist at First Christian Church where her father served as pastor. Upon graduation, with a Music Scholarship in hand, she left for College of Idaho where she spent her freshman year before transferring to the University of Utah to be with Jack. They were married on April 22, 1952, and spent more than 62 wonderful years together.
Mom and Dad moved to Pensacola, FL, after Dad's graduation and commission in the US Navy (1954) where they started their family with the birth of their two oldest daughters, Laurie and Cindi. Their youngest daughter, Jackie, was born after relocating to the SF Bay Area ending up finally in our family home in Cupertino where they resided for over 50 years. Mom was part of the original administrative team that supported the founding doctors of the Sunnyvale Medical Clinic which grew into a medical group of several hundred doctors in multiple locations around the Bay Area. Today, it is called the Palo Alto Medical Foundation. Mom was always proud to have been a part of that great medical group.
Upon retirement, Mom and Dad spent more than 25 golden years together travelling, attending and watching football games, entertaining, and enjoying their many friends and family aboard their boat, the "Bette Marie" on the Sacramento Delta. During their international travels, they visited Ellen Tiselius, a foreign exchange student from Sweden who had lived with the family for a year. Ellen became their fourth daughter. Their retirement was truly a golden time for them.
Mom is survived by Laurie and her husband, Phil Seghi (Gold River, CA), Cindi and her husband, Fred Yanney, and their two sons, Christopher and Andrew (Cerritos, CA), and Jackie and her husband, John Matthews, and their married son and his wife, John Jr. and Emily, twin daughters, Grace and Sarah, and son, James (residing in Seattle, Dallas, and Southern CA).
Mom and Dad chose cremation so that their ashes could be joined together for eternity. If you would like to make a donation in Mom's memory, her favorite charity was the Salvation Army. The family would love to hear from friends @ CrossDaughters@gmail.com.