UPDATE: Cross Passes About a Month After Resignation

UPDATE: Councilmembers Steve Stombres and Dave Meyer add their remarks:

Stombres: "She was a proud mother, a devoted wife and a caring public servant.  Our City is a better place because of her service and I am proud to have called her a colleague and a friend."

Meyer: "Joan was always gracious, and could be tough when necessary. Her devotion to the City was without equal. She gave the Council a special discernment that was unique and valuable. She was a gift to us all."

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Former Fairfax City Councilmember Joan Cross, 68, unexpectedly passed away Thursday.

from her post on the council on June 28 to focus on recovering from stage four lung cancer. It was a grim diagnosis, but not severe enough to predict her death only one month later.

Cross died due to complications from cancer, according to her Everly Funeral Home obituary.

Friends, family and neighbors are invited to her Wednesday viewing from 6-9 p.m. at Everly Funeral Home on Main Street and memorial services at 10 a.m. Thursday at the Sherwood Community Center.

"Joan was a remarkable woman who made a real difference in our community, first as a volunteer and then through her elected service on the city council," said Scott Silverthorne, who filled her position on the council. "It was a privilege to serve with her and I know the entire city mourns her passing."  

Mayor Rob Lederer praised Cross' passion for city issues and community. "Joan will be sorely missed, but never forgotten."

"[Her] passing is a tremendous loss for the city," said Councilmember Jeff Greenfield. "She was a class act and passionate about her community..

Cross moved to Fairfax from Wapello, Iowa in the early 1990s. She immediately jumped into city affairs. Cross served on the Central Fairfax Chamber of Commerce board of directors, the Rotary Club, Destination Fairfax, Board of Architectural Review, Independence Day Celebration Committee, George Mason University Theatre of the First Amendment and the City of Fairfax Band. She won the 2004 Small Business Advocate of the Year award and the 1997 Athena Award from the chamber.

The longest serving woman on the city council, she sat in the council chambers for nine years.

Cross is survived by her husband, Ron; sons Will (Keri), John (Tina) and Brad; as well as five granddaughters.

City flags are at half mast in her honor.