Waitman Earl “Al” Alexander
Waitman Earl “Al” Alexander, a United States veteran, a resident of Melbourne, Fla., passed away peacefully at the age of 94 on March 12, 2014. His adored wife of 72 years, Frances “Pearl” Alexander was by his side during his last moments at Indian River Center in Melbourne, FL.
He was born in Pittsburgh, Pa., to the late Joseph and Charlotte (Weir) Alexander on August 15, 1919.
He proudly served his country in both military and government service. Mr. Alexander joined the United States Army Air Corps in 1937, which began a life-long love of aircraft and flying. He completed aircraft mechanics training at Casey Jones School of Aeronautics in New Jersey and propeller training at the Air Corps Technical School in Illinois.
He was assigned to various bases including Mitchell Field in NY, Windsor Locks in CT, and Boston, MA. He was Crew Chief on various versions of the P-40 Warhawk. In 1942, he began his training as a Bombardier Cadet at Maxwell Field in Alabama. He was sent to Gowen Field in Boise, Idaho for training on the B-17, Flying Fortress. Then he held the position of Squadron Bombardier at Wendover Field in Utah.
In 1944, he was assigned to the B-24 Liberator and in 1945 to the Superfortress B-29. He returned to military service in 1950 when he was recalled to active duty into to support the United Nations in
the Korean Conflict. He flew 19 missions over Korea in the Superfortress B-29 long-range bomber. Mr. Alexander received his honorable discharge as a Second Lieutenant from the U.S. Air Force.
He worked as a quality assurance aircraft inspector for the U.S. government until he retired to Turtle Cove in Monticello. Mr. Alexander also had a full and satisfying family life and loved coaching his son’s baseball teams. He was a private pilot and he and Pearl enjoyed bowling, golf, and traveling throughout the U.S. and Europe.
Trained in fire safety, he was the first Fire Chief of the Jackson Lake Volunteer Fire Department that he helped establish. He loved entertaining others with singing, playing guitar and telling stories to whomever would listen. His curiosity and energy for life was infectious and his absence will be felt by all who knew and loved him.
He is survived by his wife Pearl and their five children, Nancy Oates (Nathaniel) of Covington; Barbara Alexander of Toledo, OR; Waitman Alexander, Jr. (Kathleen) of Melbourne, FL; Thomas Alexander (Carol) of Stone Mountain, and F. Timothy Alexander of Monticello; eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. He leaves two sisters, Marion Stroud of St. Petersburg, FL and Shirley Sharp of Phoenix, AZ.
He was preceded in death by his brothers; Joseph, Richard, and Jack Alexander.
A mass will be held at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church on Monday, March 31, 2014 at 10 a.m. in Melbourne.
A donation in lieu of flowers may be made to the Fisher House – Helping Military Families in memory of Waitman E. Alexander.