Mary Ethel Nixon Alexander

ALEXANDER, Mary Ethel Nixon, widow of Samuel M. Alexander Jr., a resident of Westminster Canterbury, died Saturday, May 21, 2016. She was preceded in death by brothers, Silas D. Nixon, Robert T. Nixon and William F. Nixon; sisters, Virginia Mae Nixon, Elizabeth N. Kidd, Mabel N. Loeffler, Alice N. Roberts; and son-in-law, Malcolm E. Goff. She is survived by a daughter, Ellen A. Goff; two granddaughters, Mallory Elizabeth Goff and Mackenzie Alexandra Goff; a great-granddaughter, Maliyah Candera Goff, all of Virginia Beach, Va.; sister, Betty Lewis Nixon Estes of Madison, Va.; brother, Earl H. Nixon (Virginia) of Unionville, Va.; brother-in-law, James R. Alexander (Beverly); sister-in-law, Nancy A. Driscoll, and many nieces and nephews. Mary Ethel was born in Bluefield, W. Va. on July 25, 1926, to Nina Ethel Hall and William Alfred Nixon. She grew up in Orange County and came to Richmond in 1945. She attended Smithdeal Business College and worked for several government agencies (FBI, War Assets Administration, Office of Price Stabilization, Veterans Administration, and Federal Housing Administration/Department of Housing and Urban Development). She was a charter member of the Word Processing Association of Richmond, Capital Doll Club of Richmond and The National Secretaries Association. She was an active member of First Baptist Church for 60 years and served as a secretary for several years. She was also the retired owner of ETAL Sales, Inc. The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, May 25, 2016 at the Parham Chapel, Woody Funeral Home, 1771 N. Parham Rd. Her funeral will be held at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, May 26, 2016 at First Baptist Church, 2709 Monument Ave., Richmond. Burial will follow at Westhampton Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to a charity of your choice. Condolences may be offered at woodyfuneralhomeparham.com.