Johanne
Je ne connaissais pas Peter, mais suite à la lecture j'aurais aimé le connaître tellement le texte décris un homme de son temps et de conviction. Mes condoléances Johanne
CROSS, Peter Derek
1939 - 2025
Peter Cross 1939-2025
“The first time I took a shot at the Queen, I was three years old.” This is the sentence I suggested he uses, as a starting point for his memoirs. Which I urged him to write; but he refused, convinced that the life of the “damned Englishman” (his words, not mine) would not interest anyone. This sentence is not without foundation.
Peter was in fact born on the royal estates of Windsor, England, where his father held the position of Gamekeeper. This position provided a house on the estate, and it was there that Peter was born and raised until he was 7 or 8 years old. He has often recounted how, -with his elder brother of three years-, he would hide in the trees and watch the royal couple (King George VI and the Queen Mother Elizabeth) walk by with their two daughters, Princesses Margaret and Elizabeth, who for Peter will always be Lizzie. Both armed with bows made from twisted branches held by tied old shoelaces, the two boys enjoyed shooting wooden arrows ( foot long branches really) at the procession. "Not at the Queen," Peter would correct me, "only at the guards because they alone were armed." Peter demonstrated from a young age a righteousness that would never leave him.
Peter never knew his father, who left for war while his mother was pregnant with him and from which he would not return. Captured by the Japanese, scurvy overcame him on the ship transporting him to a prison camp, and he was thrown overboard. Florence, who never remarried, took sole responsibility for raising her two sons. She would later apologize to Peter for not having provided a maternal presence in his life, having instead taken on the role of father to her children. This remark testifies to the character of the lady who was able to stand up to the King—and win her case—when the eviction notice was given to her before her husband's death was even confirmed. A remarkable strategist, she threatened to inform the newspapers on the King's treatment of the families of the soldiers killed in his name.
Peter was one of those diehards who firmly hold to their values and beliefs. Nothing would shake them. A trained electrical engineer, he left the prestigious BBC -where his future was assured- for a position in James Bay, which ultimately didn't materialize just before he arrived in Canada. However, he remained in the country and put down roots.
In his twenties, he married Alice Sprado, a teacher from Alberta who had relocated to Montreal, whom he met at the Quebec City Winter Carnival. He would be widowed prematurely, after some 30 months of marriage: Alice tragically perished before his eyes while they were spending a Sunday boating on the Ottawa River. A sudden and violent storm swept away the boat, in which Alice remained trapped, having gone down to the cabin to get life jackets. The boat sank, and Peter at the helm survived. He spent the rest of the afternoon rescuing other survivors in distress. When I asked him how he found the strength to do this, he replied: "I knew I could do nothing more for Alice, but I could help others." That was Peter Cross in a nutshell. Until the end of his life, he wore the ring that bound him to Alice forever.
Peter was then the only Triumph motorcycle dealer in Canada and was into motocross racing. He acquired a plot of land of over 100 acres in Bowman, QC, part of which ran along the river and the other was a mountain on which he planned to install a racing circuit. He did not obtain the permit, the project was abandoned, but he settled in the middle of the forest in a log house. It was there in that same house that he died, some 50 years later.
He met Rena (Renata Gohdes) with whom he shared his life and home for over 30 years. Together they surrounded the house with flowers and vegetable gardens; it was a true paradise in the woods with an unobstructed view of the Lièvre River. Rena died in 2019 and Peter remained alone, surrounded by a few friends, of whom I had the honor to be a part of.
Peter was a man of principle and exemplary integrity. He will have incessant run-ins with the Municipality, that he criticized on various issues. Peter was retired; he was passionate about municipal laws and was quick to point out errors or misinterpretations in the wording of by-laws and other decisions, even in the drafting of agendas for Council meetings. In Bowman and Val-des-Bois, he was known for his belligerent character, but he only wanted to enforce the law in its smallest detail. Anyone who stopped to listen to him understood that his sources were precise and his opinions fair. But he was not liked because he was perceived as a troublemaker and a faultfinder, which in all honesty, he was from head to toe because he loved confrontation and delighted in debate. Peter liked to say that he fought so that those who follow him would not have to. Injustice and violence horrified him and incompetence in all its forms exacerbated him to the highest degree: "It's frightening," he repeated tirelessly. Peter Cross's life knew no respite, shaped by causes to defend and battles to wage. Being around him was not easy, but how enriching.
A nature lover, he left his territory untouched for half a century. He populated his life with many abandoned cats and dogs, whom he undoubtedly cherished like the children he never had. He was a loyal, demanding, rational being, with a sharp intelligence and fundamentally upright, coupled with unparalleled generosity. An outstretched hand never went unanswered; he was a porcupine with a tender heart. He welcomed breakdowns, malfunctions, and other problems to be solved with enthusiasm and strove to find solutions, frequently contributing a piece miraculously extracted from his shambles. Adorned with an unstoppable, absolutely British sense of humor, he never stopped poking fun at himself. He liked to repeat that two major catastrophes occurred in 1939: the Second World War and his own arrival in this world.
Those who knew him were not surprised to hear him conclude any conversation by wishing you a rotten day; others remained speechless. Nothing delighted him more than you responding “Right back at you buddy!”. He did not laugh often, preoccupied by the world's misfortunes, but verbal jousting, preferably derogatory against himself, would provoke his hilarity for certain. His evening conversations ended with an invariable and reassuring "night-night" in which a touch of otherwise silent tenderness pierced through.
Proud and independent, he cherished his autonomy and hated the final months of his life, which required him to accept help.
Peter wanted to die at home so that he could, until the end, see the deers approaching his window, hear the birds, and contemplate the wild rose bushes he had so long ago, planted with his own hands.
He ultimately led a simple life, but certainly not a silent one. Withdrawn from all debate for several months, his silence today is deafening.
He and I were alone at the time of his death. The last few hours he struggled to catch each breaths. I urged him to go and join Alice, then I remembered a story he told just about everyone he had met and I suggest that Lizzie might be waiting for him as well.
Peter had always claimed to have made a bet with the Queen; as to which of them would leave first.
I whispered whilts holding and caressing his hand; "Go tell Lizzie you won the bet."
These words sealed his last breath.
Peter Derek Cross left us on July 11, 2025, at 9:47 PM.
Night-night, old friend.
Long after us, the river, the trees, and the wind will remember you.
Johanne
We, Peter's friends, would like to wholeheartedly thank the CLSC staff, coordinated by Angèle Bastien, for the extraordinary care and services provided to support Peter at the end of his life. Thank you, Patricia, for the late, much-appreciated last visit. A huge thank you to Nancy, for her invaluable presence: you’re the best. Thank you to Roxane and Pierre for their unwavering availability and wise advice. Peter's wish to die at home was respected thanks to you.
We are grateful beyond words.
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