Obituary of Lisa Diane Cross (Gillespie)

February 20, 1960 – July 14, 2014, passed away peacefully in her sleep at home in Mount Uniacke. Lisa was the middle child of Robert and Norma Gillespie of Halifax. She will be sadly missed by her partner of 15 years, fiancé Rick Bennett; sons Mathew and Nathan (father Jerry Cross); sister Janet (Brian); brother Paul; nieces Sara Thomas (Ben) and Rhonda Wood (John); in-laws John and Priscilla Cross; and special friend Shirley MacKinnon. Lisa grew up in Dartmouth and attended Prince Andrew High School as well as Dartmouth Vocational School. Despite living in Sault Ste. Marie, northern Ontario for two years, Lisa’s heart was always in Nova Scotia. She loved animals deeply and her desire was to live on a farm in her native province. Above all, she enjoyed being surrounded by loved ones and friends at family gatherings. Lisa was an avid and accomplished bowler and enjoyed playing Scotch Doubles with her dad. She was a long-time, and much-valued, employee at Staples Inc. (and previously Shell Canada) where she consistently excelled at her job. Having struggled with diabetes and a heart condition over many years, Lisa showed remarkable strength in overcoming many illnesses and setbacks. Cremation has taken place under the care of J. Albert Walker Funeral Home (2005) Ltd., 149 Herring Cove Road, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3P 1K6 where visitation will take place Thursday, July 17th from  6 to 8pm. A funeral mass will be held on Friday, July 18th at 10am at St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church, Purcells Cove Road, reception to follow. Burial at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Canadian Diabetes Association or the Heart and Stroke Foundation.