William Irvin 'Bill' Alexander, 12 Mar 1938 - 06 Dec 2019

ALEXANDER, POTE, WALKER, PHILGREEN, OCONNELL, WOOD

Posted By: Sarah Witte (email)
Date: 12/12/2019 at 16:20:42

William “Bill” Alexander, age 81 of Williamsburg, Iowa and formerly of Montezuma and Victor, died on Friday, December 6, 2019 at the Gables Care Center in Williamsburg with his family by his side.

A funeral service will be held at 11:00 AM on Wednesday, December 11, 2019 at the First Presbyterian Church in Montezuma with Pastor George Salnave officiating. A visitation with the family present will be held prior to his service beginning at 9:30 AM at the church. A reception will follow in the Family Center of the church.

Visitation will also be held from 3:00 PM until 7:00 PM on Tuesday, December 10th at the Smith Funeral Home in Victor. The family will be present during this time to greet friends.

Memorials may be designated to the William I. Alexander Memorial Fund to benefit the Montezuma First Presbyterian Church and to establish a pharmacy student scholarship fund. Memorials may be mailed in care of the Smith Funeral Home, PO Box 485, Victor, Iowa 52347. Memories and condolences may be shared with Bill’s family online at www.smithfh.com.

William Irvin Alexander was born in Pomona, California on March 12, 1938 to William Robert Alexander and Helen Aletha (Pote) Alexander. The family moved to Stuart, Iowa, where he was raised and educated. He graduated from Stuart High School with the class of 1956 and later graduated with a degree in Pharmacy from Drake University in 1960. He was a member of Kappa Psi professional fraternity and Rho Chi honor society, serving as Vice President.

Bill was united in marriage to Mary Jane Walker on June 12, 1960 at the Evangelical United Brethren Church in Van Meter, Iowa. The couple moved to Victor, Iowa shortly thereafter and Bill worked for Victor Drug for a year before purchasing the pharmacy in 1961. The couple was blessed with three children, Kevin, Michelle and Steven.

Bill was a member of the Victor United Methodist Church, serving on the church board for many years, as well as singing in the choir and playing in the bell choir. He served as a member and officer of Victor Lions Club, Victor Jaycees, served on the board of the Victor Telephone Cooperative, Victor Business Club, and Iowa County Hospice. Bill received his 50-year membership award from the Iowa Pharmacist Association. For fifteen years, he served as the Scoutmaster for Troop 226. While being a Lions Member (starting in 1960), he received the Melvin Jones Award and Warren Coleman award and volunteered to be a "highway angel" who transported eye tissue to University Hospitals in Iowa City. He received the Distinguished Service award as a member of Victor Jaycees. While being a member of the Iowa Pharmacist Association, he received the Iowa Bowl of Hygeia award.

Bill and Jane worked together in the pharmacy and added a second pharmacy in 1988 in Brooklyn, Iowa, changing the name of both stores to Village Pharmacy. They sold both stores in 2003 and moved to Lake Ponderosa in Montezuma, Iowa. Bill enjoyed playing golf, fishing and driving the boat for grandchildren and their friends while they tubed and water skied.
Bill served two terms as a Ruling Elder at the First Presbyterian Evangelical Church in Montezuma, Iowa. He faithfully attended Promise Keepers, Bible studies and enjoyed following his children’s and grandchildren’s activities over the years.

Bill is survived by his wife of 59 years, Jane (Walker) Alexander of Williamsburg; three children, Kevin (Dee) Alexander of Oxford, Iowa, Michelle (Duane) Philgreen of Manchester, Iowa, and Steve (Brenda) Alexander of Longview, Texas; 9 grandchildren: Cami Philgreen, Tyler (Michelle) Alexander, Calee Philgreen, Drew (Savannah) Alexander, Caryssa (Blake) O’Connell, Courtney (Andrew) Wood, Austin Alexander, Caria Philgreen, and Kyra Alexander; and one great grandchild, Caroline Alexander. He was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers, Robert and LeRoy Alexander; and sisters-in-law, Kay and Collette Alexander.

Published in The Hometown Current on December 11, 2019. An abbreviated version published in The Gazette on December 9, 2019