Walter Cross, the longest-serving active member of the North Carolina Forest Service and a fixture in Randolph County forestry for nearly four decades, died May 27 following a brief battle with cancer. He was 57.
Cross, who joined the Forest Service in 1988 after studying forestry at Haywood Community College, spent 37 years in the field. Known for his humility, quiet leadership and tireless work ethic, he was still on the job the day before being hospitalized May 17.
“He was the single most dedicated employee I’ve ever supervised,” Mark Bost, a former district forester who first met Cross in 1998, said. “I don’t remember him ever missing a day or calling in sick. He gave everything he had to his job.”
Bost said Cross made a lasting impression on colleagues and younger firefighters, recalling how Cross mentored a crew during the intense Western North Carolina wildfires in 2016. Cross served most of his career as assistant county ranger before being promoted to county ranger for Randolph County.
Even after 36 years of service, Cross had no plans to retire. “Why would I want to do something like that?” he said during a district meeting in 2024.
His cancer diagnosis came only days before his death. “Over the final week and a half, he was only emotional when he was overwhelmed about having to leave his family and loved ones,” his son Ben said.
Cross is survived by his children, Charley, Jamey and Ben, and their mother, Nancy.
The Forest Service will feature Cross’ life and career as part of its “We Are the Forest Service” series honoring employees who protect, manage and promote the state’s forest resources.