Conrad B. Alexander

Conrad Byrl Alexander, 77, of Austin, TX, passed away at home on Tuesday, November 25, 2014, surrounded by his loving family after a courageous battle with Parkinson's disease. He was born February 28, 1937, in Lamesa, TX to Vernon and Lela Alexander. He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Joyce Alexander, his three children; Tracy Cobb (Wade) of Midland, TX, Casey Alexander of Fort Worth, TX, and Leslie Alexander of Austin, TX; grandchildren: Lindzey Roach, Bethany Roach, Michael Alexander, Abigail Alexander, Ethan Leal and Joshua Cobb, and great-grandson, Hudson Minton. He is preceded in death by his parents, a son, Joe Dale Alexander; granddaughter, Jessica Alexander and sister, Opal Brinlee. Conrad was an exceptional athlete at Lamesa High School, lettering multiple times in all four sports offered. Upon graduation, he served his country for four years in the U.S. Navy including duty as a corpsman aboard the U.S.S. Forrestal in the Mediterranean Sea. He then obtained his BA from the University of Maryland and a Master's from the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas. He continued to serve his country as he set forth on an exceptional career with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. He served in many V.A. hospitals around the country, eventually becoming a medical center director. Conrad received recognition from the Veterans of Foreign Wars, a rare feat for a V. A. medical center director. Conrad's dream was to have a veteran's nursing home funded by both state and federal support and he achieved that dream at the end of his career. Such state and federal cooperation was considered a pipe dream by many, but Conrad made it happen. There are now multiple veterans' nursing homes in the state of Texas and, ironically, these homes serve many veterans with Parkinson's disease. After retiring from the Dept. of Veteran's Affairs, Conrad was appointed Executive Director of the Texas Commission on Drug and Alcohol Abuse by former Gov. George W. Bush. Later, he worked for the Federal Equal Opportunity Commission as a discrimination investigator. In spite of all his career accolades, Conrad considered his greatest achievement in life to be his involvement with his family whom he provided unwavering support and unconditional love. Conrad was a hardworking, dedicated, loving and compassionate man. He will be missed by all who knew and loved him. His spirit will live on through the people he touched. The Family would like to express sincere gratitude to the Gentiva Hospice staff with a special thank you to Toni and Barbara. Memorial Services will be held at Crestview Baptist church in Georgetown, Texas on Saturday, November 29, 2014 at 10:00 a.m. with a private burial following.