Tucson, AZ - Harold Eugene Cross, MD, PhD

One year ago on May 12, 2025, Harold Eugene Cross, MD, PhD, passed away at the age of 87.

He was the son of George Cross and Rosa (Schmucker) Cross.

In his later years, Harold was inflicted with Parkinson's disease, which contributed to his death.

A Goshen and Middlebury (Indiana) native, Harold was known to many in the community before a distinguished career in medicine took him far from home.

Harold attended Goshen College, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Natural Science and Chemistry. He went on to The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, earning his MD in 1964 and his PhD in Medical Genetics in 1967. His doctoral research centered on genetic studies within an Amish community, a subject that held personal as well as scientific meaning for him given his Indiana roots.

Harold completed his internship at the University of Washington Hospital and his residency in ophthalmology at the prestigious Wilmer Institute at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He became board certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology in 1974 and held a medical license in the State of Arizona that same year.

His career spanned both private practice and at the University of Arizona in Tucson, where he practiced ophthalmology, conducted research on hereditary eye disorders, and taught generations of medical students. He retired as Professor Emeritus of Ophthalmology and received the university's Vernon and Virginia Furrow Award for teaching excellence in 2013.

Harold was married first to Barbara.

He is survived by his wife, Lena; two daughters, Kim Cross Crawford and Debbie Cross Ford; four grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and two sisters, Ruby Joan (Cross) Bontrager and Rachel Sue (Cross) Brenneman.

Harold Eugene Cross carried Indiana and his family heritage with him throughout his lifetime.