AURORA, IL – Greek-American Greg Zanis who made crosses and brought them to the sites of many mass shootings across the United States passed away on May 4 following a battle with bladder cancer, the Chicago Tribune reported. He was 69.
Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin said in statement on May 4, the Tribune reported, “Mr. Greg Zanis was a giant among men. He was a man of action who simply wanted to honor the lives of others. In return, his life was one of honor and one that was celebrated throughout our nation and world. Heeding to the Scripture `pick up your cross and follow me,’ Mr. Greg Zanis did just that. He picked up the crosses he made and followed his mission in the noblest of ways. His legacy shall forever be remembered in his hometown of Aurora and around the globe.”
Zanis, the founder of the organization Crosses for Losses, was diagnosed in November 2019 with bladder cancer, CNN reported, adding that “he was originally given a few years to live, but the cancer spread and his health crumbled, his family says,” and was “in home hospice care and doesn’t have long left.”
Zanis told CNN in a recent phone interview, “I’m very, very devastated with the whole thing. I can’t stand the thought of doing nothing.”
“His friends and loved ones, as well as those he touched in almost a quarter-century of delivering and erecting about 27,000 memorials created in his Aurora, IL workshops, want to see him and share their condolences,” CNN reported, adding that “with Illinois under stay-at-home orders amid the coronavirus pandemic, it’s not safe for Zanis to accept visitors.”
“His daughter, Susie, plans to host a `living visitation’ Friday so folks can come say hello and goodbye from the yard, and Zanis will greet them from the front porch window,” CNN reported, noting that “signs expressing fond wishes and memories are encouraged.”
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