Terry O’Neil Alexander
October 7, 1941 - October 10, 2024
On October 10, 2024 Terry O’Neil Alexander succumbed to head injuries due to a fall. With his wife, Susan, and his son Brandon at his side, he left this world to go to his forever home with God.
Terry was born on October 7, 1941 to John (Buck) and Era Alexander on a farm in Sterling, Oklahoma. He had an older brother, Don, who preceded him in death, a younger sister, Jan Smith, who resides in Oklahoma, and numerous nieces and nephews. After years of farming, the family moved to town, Sterling, Oklahoma. with a population of 900. His father bought a Phillips 66 service station where Terry spent his youth learning to do all kinds of work in and around the town. There was a picture postcard of rural America when the central part of life was following God’s leading by helping your neighbors and attending meetings at the First Baptist Church. Here he learned the meaning of life-to serve God and man wherever it took him. He accepted Jesus as his Savior when about 9 years and spent his life growing in understanding of what that meant and how he could fit into God’s plan.
Terry graduated from college in 1963 with a BA in business administration. His first job was in the produce industry in sales at C.H. Robinson in Illinois, but when Uncle Sam called, he became a soldier, going to Vietnam for a year. He had a deep appreciation for being an American and took his duty seriously. On his return from Vietnam he went to work at Stadelmans in Yakima, Washington, then Tenneco West in Lodi, but he was always interested in the then new, up-and-coming use of computers. At 50 years old he made the big decision to go back to school and learn all he could about using computers. He spent the rest of his career working for San Joaquin County as a computer analyst until his retirement in 2009.
The most significant changes in his life were when he married his college sweetheart, Susan Johnston in 1963 and the birth of their son, Brandon in 1971. As a husband and father he was loving, gentle, approachable, and right about most things. He set the example as a solid, hard- working man of God who lived his faith.
Terry was a quiet observer in most large gatherings, letting others lead, but among his close friends would surprise them with his humor and understanding of life’s quirks. Oh, how we’ll miss his presence! A Celebration of Life and luncheon will be held at First Baptist Church, 267 N Mills Ave, Lodi, CA on Wednesday, October 30, 2024 at 11 a.m.
“The song has ended, but the melody lingers on”
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Cherokee Memorial is honored to serve the Alexander family.
