Judith "Judy" Cross

Judith “Judy” Morton Cross, 72, of Woodway, passed away suddenly on April 13, 2022, with her family by her side.  Visitation will be 6 to 8 P.M. Monday, April 18, 2022, in the Chapel of Grace Gardens Funeral Home, 8220 Woodway Dr.  The funeral service will be 10:00 A.M. Tuesday, April 19, 2022, in the Chapel of Grace Gardens Funeral Home with Reverend Mickey Fugitt officiating

She was born to the daughter of late Bernard Franklin Morton, Jr. and Rosa Evelyn (Chandler) Morton on March 4, 1950, in Morehead City, North Carolina. Judy graduated from West Carteret High School in 1968. Following in her mother’s footsteps, Judy attended Greensboro College in Greensboro, North Carolina where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Early Childhood in 1972.

While working as an elementary school teacher in Danville, Virginia, Judy’s friends set her up on a blind date with a man who, as she would say, was full of himself. He would go on to say she was a “square” with no second date on the horizon. Two weeks later and no plans on a Saturday night produced a second date to see the movie, Judge Roy Bean. This began the start of Wayne and Judy’s life together. After moving from Danville, Virginia to Charleston, South Carolina, they settled in Cary, North Carolina where they welcomed their two daughters, Ashley and Adrienne. In 1986, the family moved to Woodway, Texas much to the chagrin of Judy who was a true Carolina girl. Even after 36 years of living in Texas, Judy would return to North Carolina, especially the beaches of the Outer Banks, as much as she could to enjoy sitting on a porch overlooking the ocean, catching up with family and friends and indulging in fresh seafood.

Judy was an elementary school teacher with most of her years spent in kindergarten before retiring in 2011 after 39 years.  Her colleagues knew her as a kind soul, always willing to help her students any way she could. Helping her students navigate their first few years of school and teaching them the building blocks of reading and writing was one of Judy’s joys. Her daughters would say it was common to be out with their mom and have a former student come up to Judy asking if she remembered them. She loved hearing from and keeping track of her former students. Her impact on countless students cannot be measured.

Judy loved to travel with Wayne and the family by either plane or jumping in the car for a road trip. If you visit their home, pictures of their adventures are hanging on the walls with a corresponding photo book. She was an avid sports fan cheering on the Texas Rangers and Baylor Bears with her loudest cheers for her daughters when they played basketball. Judy enjoyed catching up with friends during weekly dinners on Friday and Saturday nights along with playing mahjong with her weekly group. Judy unconditionally loved her children and supported them all her life through the many highs and difficulties of their lives. Her greatest joy in the last few months of her life was being a grandmother to her granddaughter, Lola. To say that her family and friends will miss her greatly is an understatement.

She is survived by a loving family: her husband, Wayne of 46 years, two daughters, Ashley Cross Mudge and her husband Edmund Webster Mudge IV of Dallas, Texas and Adrienne Cross Woodward and her husband Jacob Lamar Woodward of Waco, Texas, her sister Glenda Morton Mitchell of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, her niece Sandra Barts Carter and family of Yanceyville, North Carolina, nephew Jason Franklin Mitchell and family of Advance, North Carolina, niece Amy Mitchell Getman and family of Raleigh, North Carolina, and her granddaughter, 3 month old Lola Chandler Mudge.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Judy’s memory to the American Cancer Society.

Registry for Judith "Judy"  Cross