George Joseph “Joe” Alexander

George Joseph (Joe) Alexander, beloved husband, father, and grandfather, passed away on February 1, 2023 at the age of 83 as a result of complications from Alzheimer’s disease.  He passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his wife, daughter and granddaughter.

Joe was born on July 8, 1939 in Kansas City, Missouri to Cleavy Roy and Mary Elizabeth Alexander.  Cleavy’s work for the railroad saw the family relocated to Marshfield, Missouri in the early 1940s.  It was after the move that Joe welcomed a baby sister, Grace Ruth.

Joe was raised on the edge of the Ozark Mountains where outside activities for a kid were numerous.  In High School, he excelled at basketball due to his large six-foot three-inch frame, unusual for the 1950s.  He graduated in 1957 and although he was active in FFA and other agrarian hobbies and activities, Joe yearned to see the world and not push a plow.  He enlisted in the United States Navy in 1957 and was off to San Diego.

Joe’s early assignments included The Philippines and Japan.  While on leave, and back in Marshfield, Joe’s sister and future sister-in-law set him up on a date with Carolyn Sue McDonald.  Although they had known of each other in high school, Joe had not apparently left the best impression as a teenager.  However, as time can heal, the two fell in love and were wed on June 14, 1962 and off they went to see the world.

Joe’s next assignment was at Cheltenham in Maryland, near Andrews Air Force Base.  Joe’s work in the Navy was in intelligence as a cryptologist and one of the first introductions for Carolyn into the world of the military was a husband that disappeared for several days due to the Cuban Missile Crisis.  Following Maryland, Joe spent his only assignment at sea for 14 months traveling to South America and Africa.  Upon returning home, they were re-assigned to Okinawa for three years upon which they returned to Virginia where he worked at Northwest Naval Station.

In 1969, Joe was re-assigned to Adak, Alaska.  It was there in 1970 that the couple welcomed their daughter, Joetta Gale.  Although Adak was considered by many to be a horrendous assignment, Joe and Carolyn thrived in the splendid isolation of the Aleutian Islands.  From Alaska the family moved to Turkey where Joe and Carolyn were overwhelmed by the Christian and Islamic histories.  The family also enjoyed trips into Istanbul and the Black Sea.

From Turkey, the family relocated to London, U.K. Living in London provided the family with memorable camping trips into the Scottish Highlands.  Joe’s next assignment was in Virginia Beach, VA, where Joe retired from the military in 1980.  Having made good contacts in the Navy, Joe was lured to Midland Texas by a friend to join him in a second career as a landman.  While they were caught in the boom-and-bust cycles and work was sometimes scarce, they were able to ride out the bad times with Joe ultimately becoming a contract landman for numerous oil companies including Pure and Chevron from 1995 until his retirement in 2017.

While Joe’s last few years were spent in a slow decline, he managed the disease with humor, positivity, dignity, and bravery.  In May 2019, Joe was invited on the Permian Basin Honor Flight, joining veterans of World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Cold War and Iraq/Afghanistan.  The vets spent three days in and around Washington D.C. being treated as VIPS.  In December of 2019, the family spent Christmas in Las Vegas where Joe was able to thoroughly enjoy the Cirque du Soleil shows “O” and “Ka”.  These activities of 2019 ended up becoming well-timed gifts as March of 2020 would see the Corona virus shut down the world.

Joe was preceded in death by his parents, Cleavy Roy and Mary Elizabeth, his sister Grace Ruth Petty, and his half-siblings Lowell Alexander and Zelma Corsentino.  He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Carolyn Sue Alexander, his daughter Joetta Alexander Bole and her husband Barrett Bole, and his granddaughter Elizabeth Barbara Bole, all of Midland, Texas.

There is no service scheduled.  Donations in Joe’s name can be made to the Wounded Warrior Project.  The family would like to thank the Home Hospice for the care that Joe received in the last weeks of his life.

Memento Vivere, Memento Mori

Arrangements are under the direction of Nalley-Pickle & Welch Funeral Home & Crematory of Midland.  Online condolences may be made at www.npwelch.com.

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