He enjoyed every day...
Dick was a kind, caring, wonderful man who improved the lives of everyone he encountered.
He made friends all over the world with his quick wit and his true interest in all people. He visited over 40 countries, and once claimed he could order beer in 11 languages. He learned from others and made everybody happy to be around him. Each day was an adventure for him, and he shared his love of the world with his children and grandchildren. They will continue his exploration and share the jokes and fun and zest for life that he inspired.
Dick met his Alzheimer's diagnosis with bravery and hope and continued to bring happiness to others.
"Alzheimer's is the only cause of death among the top 10 in America without a way to prevent it, cure it or even slow its progressions,"
-- Georgia Alzheimer Ass'n President.
Please share your memories of the joy (and fun) he brought, adding stories, thoughts and pictures.
Tributes
Leave a tributeThe Alexander family would take me up to Vineyard Lake when they would go on a summer vacation. They were the sisters and brother I never had. And heading over to the Alexander's late Christmas morning is always another wonderful memory.
Dick and I had a lot of fun together and most of it was good clean fun. If any of the kids or grand kids want to know more, The court records will be unsealed in 5 years. Submitted by Jim Lange
I am so sorry to hear of Dick's passing. I know, from personal experience, how devastating Alzheimers can be to a family. May you continue to experience his love, joy, laughter, pride, humor and many more of his special attributes reflected in the beautiful lives of your children & grandchildren.
You are now & always in my prayers,
Sue (Crawford) Gross
XO
Susan (James) Stahl
Our hearts go out to the Alexander family.
Love, Cynthia and Steve
My memories are of the Friday nights when we all would gather in the tiny club house for dinner after playing tennis or golf. Don't you know he is up there in Heaven right now with Walt Kutch, aka the "Kooch", getting the lay of the land, being introduced around and having a tee time set up by Walt, with some of Walt and Dick's friends. He's okay!!! Now all he wants is for his greatest love, you, to be okay!!! Carol, while Dick is physically no longer here his love for you and the children will live on today, tomorrow, forever and always!!!!
Rest in peace, Dick, hit 'em straight and thank you being such a great role model & friend to everyone! Respectfully, David Jacobs
I will be in prayer for all of you.
Love,
Pat
We shared a lot of history together-Indian Hills, Big Canoe and Hilton Head.Good golf, big grins and outstanding wit. You even planned prats!
A favorite picture on a change of address card showed you and Carol
posed in front of an out-house holding cleaning tools, brushes and a
BUCKET
Well...Dick.You kicked IT.
Thanks for the memories.
Love, Tom and Ginny
Leave a Tribute
Uncle Dick was a great man, husband, father and a fantastic Uncle as he will be greatly missed. I really enjoyed our family times together and loved talking with Uncle Dick about golf and cars. If it was not for him and Grampy I would never have taken up the game of golf.
I really enjoyed our family get together from Okemos to Atlanta. Uncle Dick was always happy and always had a great big smile on his face and was pretty funny as well. I was always amazed at all of the things he could do from magic tricks to playing multiple musical instruments and to his handyman skills.
Uncle Dick will be greatly missed by all and especially all of us in the family. Rest in peace Uncle Dick…Love ya Steve
Travels
Traveling with Dad was an adventure, but you never knew when that adventure might take place. Once, on a family trip out West (via station wagon from Michigan), he spent a very long time paying at the gas station. (That wasn't too unusual; he loved learning about people and would collect stories at every stop.) When he came out, he had found a ghost town for us to visit. We drove up into dusty hills and found a few buildings, including the house where a scene from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid had been shot.
Sometimes the adventure was waiting for him to finish taking his photos. Way before digital, he would take zillions of pictures of everything. His photo case with all the lenses weighed a ton, and his suitcase was filled with rolls of film. He'd stop walking for just the right shot(s). The rest of the family finally would give up and just keep walking. A few minutes later, he'd trot up. His slide shows were always worth it.
His photos were creative and his viewpoint, too. We would hike a lot as a family, and he always found faces in trees, or atypical rock formations. He'd wonder how things got to be that way. He said that as a boy he learned that Indians walked with their feet perfectly straight in front of them because, if you walked for long distances, it was more efficient. I remember him exasperated seeing a tree grow out from a rock canyon wall when he couldn't even get them to grow when watered and fertilized at home.
He could find interest in the mundane. On long road trips, when he switched lanes, he'd try to do it without hitting any of the reflectors embedded in the road. He'd decypher patterns in the traffic. For example, he might count drivers with facial hair to see if more than half had it, or whether more cars were blue than green. The world was always interesting to him, and he made it more interesting for me.
I am very sad to hear the news of Dick's passing. He was a regular golf buddy of mine at Indian Hills for several years. What a true gentleman and wonderful friend. I really missed him when he moved away and was distressed to learn that he had Alzheimer's when I called him in 2015 to let him know that a mutual friend of ours had died. Dick was always smiling and upbeat. It was a treat to have known him. May he rest in eternal peace.
Don Thomas