Obituary: Mary "Ann" Kross, 85, of East Haven

Obituary courtesy of Clancy-Palumbo Funeral Home:

Mary "Ann" Kross, 85, of East Haven passed away June 26, 2023 at Yale New Haven Hospital. She was born October 30, 1937 in Waterbury, Connecticut to Frank and Geraldine (Kirby) Magnuson.

Ann is survived by her son, Ken Kross (Denise Kross) of Upland, California and a daughter, Kathryn Kross (Tom LeBrun) of Washington, DC. In addition, she leaves two grandchildren, Taylor Kross and Jeff Kross of Upland, California.

Ann is preceded in death by her parents and husband of 62 years, Richard “Dick” Kross (2020).

Ann grew up in the Oakville section of Watertown, Connecticut where her father Frank ("Fritjof" in his native Sweden) owned a grocery store. In summers, neighborhood boys would huddle around Frank's radio in the back of the store, listening to the play-by-play of Yankees and Red Sox games. One of those boys was "Richie" Kross, the son of Lithuanian immigrants, who would become a star athlete in high school and college and eventually, Ann's husband.

If Ann was telling this story, she might say that her marriage to Richard was when her life took shape. They moved to East Haven, where Richard led the Parks and Recreation Department. They set up a home in Foxon, raising their two children on a winding street with towering oak trees, back when kids and dogs were all free range. Summers were filled with baseball and softball games, eventually tennis, swimming pools, barbecues and bicycles.

If it sounds idyllic, it was. Ann made it that way. Ann was the mother that welcomed every new friend, who made the chocolate chip cookies, who orchestrated the family dinners and was, miraculously, never late for pickups. As her children grew, so did her interests. She enjoyed interior design, eventually opening her own shop in the center of East Haven. Her home, a 60's ranch house that might appear unremarkable from the street, was radiant inside.

She and Richard ferried undergrads to and from colleges in Pennsylvania and New Hampshire, which eventually turned into vacations in California and Washington, DC, where their children settled. They maintained a deep network of friends. Richard would be the first to admit that it was Ann who nurtured those relationships, who sent the cards and made the calls.

In their later years, they became devotees of UCONN women's basketball. They spoke of "the girls" with such familiarity, you might expect a player to walk in and grab a soda from the fridge. They laughed. A lot.

When Richard died in 2020, Ann faced the most difficult challenge of her life: living without her partner of 62 years. Those who knew her well could see the contours of her grief, yet she greeted people with her signature optimism. She traveled. She experienced new things. She reconnected with old friends and made new friends. As a friend of Ann's, you had her full attention.

In the end, that might be Ann's greatest gift. If love is the quality of attention one pays to things, Ann paid supreme attention. Her family and her friends will forever benefit.

Family and friends are invited to meet and attend a Mass of Christian Burial on Friday June 30, 2023 at 10 A.M. in St. Pio of Pietrelcina Parish at the Church of Our Lady of Pompeii, 355 Foxon Rd., (Route 80) East Haven, CT with Committal to follow at All Saints Cemetery, North Haven. All services are under the care of the Clancy-Palumbo Funeral Home (Clancy Funeral Home), 43 Kirkham Ave., East Haven, CT.