Dorothy E Alexander

Dorothy Ellen (Lind) Alexander, 91, of Longmont, died June 13, 2015 at her home. She was born July 18, 1923 to Robert and Stella (Zerbe) Lind in Tipton, Iowa, the youngest of seven children. She graduated from Tipton Consolidated School in 1941 and worked in the Cedar County Treasurer’s Office until her marriage to Galen J. Alexander on Olin, Iowa on June 4, 1944. They farmed near Olin for 18 years and then owned a hardware store in Wyoming Iowa. She worked as a receptionist in a doctor’s clinic in Monticello, Iowa in 1959. She joined the Fraternal Order of the Eastern Star at Tipton, Iowa in April 1944 and became a Past Grand Marshall of the Order of the Eastern Star of Iowa in 1966. They moved to Longmont in June, 1972 at which time she became employed at Longmont United Hospital, where she worked for 28 years. She was a member of Westview Presbyterian Church, served as a Deacon and sang in the choir. She was a member of Abigails, a missionary group of the church. She loved cats, music, reading, baking, traveling, logic problem puzzles and the Broncos.

Mrs. Alexander was preceded in death by her parents, her husband in 1989, two sisters, three brothers and a granddaughter. She is survived by two sons: A.J. Alexander and Kent R. Alexander, both of Longmont, one sister Viola Jager of Chicago, four grandchildren, two great grandchildren, 9 nephews and 3 nieces and her cat Lindy Lou.

Cremation has been entrusted to Howe Mortuary and Cremation Services in Longmont. Private interment in Foothills Gardens of Memory.

A Celebration of Dorothy’s life will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, June 19, 2015 at Westview Presbyterian Church with Pastor Scott Phillips officiating.

Contributions in Dorothy’s memory are requested to Westview Presbyterian Church.

Dorothy wrote the following when she was 76 years old.

Born in Tipton, Iowa July 18, 1923 which makes me 76 at this moment. I am the youngest of seven children. I had 3 brothers and 3 sisters. One sister and two brothers are deceased. My mother was Pennsylvania Dutch. Her mother died when she was 6 weeks old, so she was in a foster home. She married my Dad, who was born and raised in Scotland and come to this country when he was 20 years old. He was a master machinist, being apprenticed in Scotland and could fix any kind of a machine. He had his own shop. We lived on three acres on the edge of town of about 3,000 and raised everything ourselves. I was the one sent up in the cherry tree, not only because I was the smallest, but I didn’t eat every other berry I picked. We had our own bees for honey and one of my fondest memories is eating a fresh baked bun dripping with honey. We also had a huge patch of red raspberries, when we sold a lot of berries out of. Beside a good big garden of everything, we had gooseberry bushes, rhubarb, walnut trees. In those days, people were self-sufficient compared to today’s easy access to the store for everything under the sun. We also had a milk cow in the barn so had cream for our cereal too. Memories of homemade vegetable soup on Monday washdays stand out in my mind. The four youngest of us walked to school every day – it was more than a mile – and came home again at noon and returned to school, then back home again. If the weather was bad, Dad took us, but otherwise we walked. Our Presbyterian church was just a block from the school, so guess where we went every Sunday for Sunday school…. I like school, especially when I got old enough to play in the band and sing in the chorus. I was a second soprano in our Sextet, and was proud when we took first place at the national music contest held in St. Paul and Minneapolis, singing “The Lord’s Prayer” a cappella. I can’t hear that sung today without getting a huge lump in my throat and tears in my eyes. It brings back so many wonderful memories. Our bank also took first, I played the tympani’s in the concert band. Played the glockenspiel in the marching band and the snare drum also. I played the marimba for solo work and the xylophone too. Played piano in the jazz band and after marriage played the organ in the church. Also played piano in Eastern Star, which I joined shortly before marriage.

I went through the chairs of OES, was Worthy Matron, and went on to be Grand Marshall in Iowa’s Order of the Easter Star. I married Galen Alexander in June, 1944 and have two sons, AJ and Kent. AJ has been married twice and gave me 5 grandchildren, on, a girl, died just before she became 13. Her brother who is 24, has one child and one on the way, which makes me a great grandmother. He lives in California.

We owned a hardware store in Wyoming, Iowa for five years. The discount store started coming in around the territory, so we sold our and come to Colorado with friends – best decision we ever made. It was 1972. We arrived here June 1, 1972 and I started working at the hospital June 28th and have been there ever since. But, as you have heard, I will be going part time the last of this month and am pretty excited about it. 27 years in the same place is almost unthinkable nowadays. But I have other interests now and want to pursue them.