The Cross Family

U.S. Army Veteran J.L. Cross bravely served his country as an aircraft maintenance apprentice during the Vietnam War and enlisted with the Army Reserves for over a decade.

On Easter Sunday 2020, Cross and his family lost everything when a string of devastating tornadoes struck parts of Tennessee. The Cross family was playing cards at the kitchen table when the tornadoes began ripping through their community. Cross and his wife, Ruby, were clinging onto fixed household items, while others were hunkered down in the bathroom praying. Thankfully, once the storm had passed, all family members were safe, but the home Cross built for his family in the 70s was completely destroyed.

Operation FINALLY HOME along with project partners Lowes, the Ocoee Regional Home Builders Association, Charles Blankinship, Charlotte Peak, Dwayne Hooker, Jon Mantooth, Larmar Orr, Roy Crisp and support from Bradley County and the Cleveland Community are honored to rebuild the Cross family home in Cleveland, Tennessee.