Harlan E. (Gene) Cross, Jr., formerly of Oakton, VA died peacefully in Riverview, FL on January 18, 2020 at the age of 79. He was the beloved husband of Carol (Barmash) Cross of 38 years; loving father of 3 daughters, Cindy Fleming (Ken Kelley), Jill Cha (Patrick) and Rachel Jensen (Jeff). He is also survived by four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Gene graduated from Auburn University and earned a PhD from Florida Tech. He served in the Army Signal Corps. His engineering career spanned 27 years at Harris Corporation and 15 years at MITRE Corporation where he retired as Senior VP, General Manager and Director of the Center for Enterprise Modernization. He was a published author, devout history buff, amateur radio operator, avid boater and life-long fisherman. He volunteered at historic Arlington House where he became the Founding Chair of the Arlington House Foundation.
The family will receive friends at Hillsboro Memorial Funeral Home, 2323 W. Brandon Blvd., Brandon, FL on Friday, January 24, from 5 to 8 p.m., followed by a Celebration of Life on Saturday, January 25, at 10:00 a.m at the same location. Inurnment at Arlington National Cemetery will take place at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Arlington House Foundation, P.O. Box 3689, Mclean, VA 22103 or at https://www.arlingtonhouse.org.
Harlan 'Gene' Cross,
Mitre Corp. executive
Harlan “Gene” Cross, 79, a former vice president of Mitre. Corp., which manages federally funded research and development centers, died Jan. 18 at a hospital in Riverview, Fla. The cause was lung and heart disease, said his wife, Carol Cross.
Dr. Cross, a native of Birmingham, Ala., was an electrical engineer and program manager in Florida before joining Mitre in 1990. In 2005, he became a consultant to Mitre and served until 2018, when he moved to Riverview from Oakton, Va.
