On Jan. 9, 2005, our family came together to share the end of an era. Right after Christmas, our mother, Mildred Alexander, a lifelong member of the Reformed Presbyterian Church, went into a Syracuse, N.Y., hospital for some treatment. She was told that she had advanced cancer.

She immediately asked her children and grandchildren to come to be with her in Skaneateles, N.Y., and stay un- til she left. She had planned the whole visit right down to the dinner menu on the night she died. She remained very aware of everything around her until the end. Her last day, she only said a few words, but she reached up to hug us. Just after midnight, her granddaughter, Amber, kissed her on the forehead and said, “We all love you, Grandma.” At that, Mom closed her eyes and stopped breathing. We all realized that we had just witnessed something beautiful, holy, and precious in the eyes of the Savior.

Mildred was born July 6, 1909, in Olathe, Kan., the second daughter of Robert and Emaline Huey. They moved west to Quinter, Kan., and then on to Sterling, Kan., to raise their four children. Mildred went to work teaching school in Kansas after she graduated from Ster- ling High and began her college studies at Sterling Col- lege. Our Dad, Gilford Alexander, was in the Navy when they decided to marry, so Mom relocated to Jacksonville, Fla. After the war, they settled on a farm in Platteville, Colo., then in Greeley, Colo., Cheyenne, Wyo., and back to Greeley. Mom and Dad taught school in Cheyenne many years, retiring in 1972 and 1973. Dad died in 1989. Six years ago, Mom move to Skaneateles to help Sharon raise her two little boys. She became a member of the Reformed Presbyterian Church in nearby Syracuse.

She always put her own needs at the back of the list. When she was too weak to work, she knew she could still meet people’s needs through prayer. Like Enoch in the Old Testament, we can say that she “walked with God.” This is her legacy. This is what we loved about her. This is what we aspire to for ourselves and for our children. We feel honored to have been part of her life.

—submitted by Jim, Pam, Amber, Aleece, and Elena Alexander Bruce, Lois, Jeff, Judy, Greg, and Christina Alexander Sharon, Jim, Jimmy, and Danny O’Connell