Genevieve Louree Unfried was born to Steve Jacob Unfried and Lora Chavers Unfried in Winters, Texas on August 25, 1924. The family lived in New Mexico for the next few years, where her sister Peggy was born, and then settled in Groesbeck, Texas. There she attended school, receiving the American League Award at 7th Grade Graduation and graduating from Groesbeck High School in 1941. The next year she attended Sam Houston State University but, with the advent of World War II, she moved to Dallas to work a for an insurance company. During the war years she joined Beta Sigma Phi and served as a Red Cross nurses' aide volunteer.
In 1950 Louree married Dr. John Ernest Alexander, Jr. an Internal Medicine specialist of Tyler, Texas. They had a son and a daughter, John Ernest Alexander III and Amelia Alexander.
After his death in 1967 she worked as the Executive for the Smith County Medical Society for 26 years. She was a member of the TMA Membership Committee, the Texas Society of Association Executives and the American Association of Medical Society Executives. Locally she served on the Quality Review Boards of both Mother Frances and Medical Center Hospitals. She remained a member of the Smith County and Medical Association Alliance for the rest of her life.
Louree was the second recipient of the prestigious Heart of Gold awarded from the Smith County Medical Society. As a member of First Presbyterian Church of Tyler she was one of the first four women to be elected in 1978 to serve as a church officer. In the following years she would serve as Deacon, Elder, Trustee, plus numerous committees, including Co-chair of the Funeral Support Committee from 1988-2016. In Feb. 2008 she was commissioned as a Stephen Minister. Previous Memberships: Historic Tyler Board, Tyler Service League, Alice Riley Garden Club, TASCA, Tyler Civic Theatre, Cameron-J. Jarvis Troup Memorial Library. Current Memberships: Tyler Junior League, First Presbyterian Church, Tyler Museum of Art, Smith Co. Medical Society Alliance, New Century Literary Club.
Preceded in death by her husband, Dr. John Ernest Alexander, Jr. and his parents, Ernest and Pope Alexander of Tyler, her father Steve J. Unfried of Groesbeck and mother, Lora Chavers Unfried Downing Bowen of Tyler and step-fathers Edd Downing of Capitan, New Mexico and Joel C. Bowen of Gladewater.
Louree is survived by her daughter Amy Alexander Fry and grandson Alexander Burton Fry of Tyler and her son John E. Alexander III and his wife Romilda Sue Alexander. She is also survived by her only sister, Peggy R. Unfried of Tyler.
A graveside service will be held at Rose Hill Cemetery, Friday, November 8, 2019 at 1:00 p.m., followed by a 2:00 p.m. memorial service at First Presbyterian Church of Tyler.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to The Hospice of East Texas or to The First Presbyterian Church of Tyler.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18