Ed Alexander 1953-2022 dies

Obituary
Fairfax, VT) Edwin Elijah Alexander (b. Aug. 18, 1953) died at home on Wednesday February 23, 2022, after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer over 2 ½ years ago. Many loved ones were present to sit with him in peace, tenderness and warmth at his time of death.

One of 11 children born to Wayne and Martha Alexander, Ed grew up in Jericho, graduating from Mt. Mansfield Union High School in 1971. He had a wonderful childhood on Steeplebush Hill, hunting and playing pond hockey with his siblings and friends. Ed briefly attended the US Air Force Academy, and graduated from UVM in 1976 with a degree in Secondary Education, Mathematics. He began a 35-year teaching career, first at Colchester Jr High School and then at Mt. Mansfield UHS, also serving as MMU’s Athletic Director from 1986-1991. Ed worked hard at his career- he was a rigorous teacher who imparted much humor into his classes- often commenting that his work was “part teacher, part entertainer.” After happily retiring from teaching in 2012, Ed enjoyed his retirement years at his log cabin in Fairfax, VT with his wife Sandy and their son Elijah (age 14).

Ed married Susan Turcotte in 1979 and together they raised two sons, Tyler (1984) and Matthew (1987) in Richmond. He was remarried to Sandy Borrelli in 2005 and was blessed with a 3rd son, Elijah (2007). Ed was an incredible father- Tyler, Matt and Elijah were his favorite people on Earth. He was very close to each of his boys and collectively they built many cherished memories. Ed’s spirit will live on in these 3 wonderful men.

One of Ed’s great passions was baseball, and he spent many years playing and coaching the sport. He proudly coached his younger brothers in Jericho Little League and served as the JV baseball coach at MMU for 5 years. Later, he coached his older sons from T-ball through Babe Ruth in Richmond, and finally did it all over again 20 years later for Elijah in Fairfax. He had many fond memories of all the players he was fortunate to coach over this 46-year span, and they will remember him for his enthusiastic coaching style and baseball Ed-isms such as “golden nugget,” “bunting wins ball games,” and a crowd favorite, “Get back, Jojo!”

Ed was an avid outdoorsman, passionate about hunting and fishing. He cherished the time spent with his father, uncles, brothers, sons, nephews and friends at their family hunting camp in Wheelock, VT. Ed relished being able to cut all his own firewood to heat his home, and would often comment about the “happy little woodpile” basking in the warmth of a sunny day. He loved tapping trees and making maple syrup out of the little sugarhouse attached to the barn, and was pleased to share these hobbies with all 3 of his sons.

Summers were precious- if Ed wasn’t cutting wood or building yet another woodshed, Ed, Sandy and Elijah could be found spending time swimming with family at Shadow Lake in Glover or hiking and biking with friends at Acadia National Park in Maine. Ed also enjoyed tending his vegetable garden, reading non-fiction books and completing crossword puzzles.

Ed was predeceased by his parents Wayne and Martha. He is survived by his wife Sandy and son Elijah of Fairfax, his sons Tyler (Aimee) of Derby and Matthew (Christie) of Hartford, and 3 grandchildren- Caroline, Grant and Owen. Ed leaves behind his 10 siblings: Joan of Glover; Lisa (Dan) of New Boston, NH; Cedric (Susan) of Cabot; Laura (Paul) of West Wareham, MA; Mary (Danny) of Richmond; Martha (Chris) of Richmond, Peter (Jeanne) of Derby; Paul (Lesley) of Waterbury; Wesley (Darlene) of Glover and Julie (Thomas) of Nice, France. He is also survived by Sandy’s parents Barbara (Frank) Gullison and Skip Borrelli, her sisters and their families, several aunts, uncles and cousins, and many (many!) nieces and nephews. Finally, Ed leaves behind some very dear friends, most notably Dave Adams (Gene) of Jericho and Nate

Muehl (Kathi) of Fairfax. Our family was supported and lifted up by more people than we could possibly acknowledge. Please know that we appreciate every kindness that has been extended to us over the years. A final extra special thank you to Janet Ely, N.P., who went above and beyond her call of duty to support Ed over the last few months.

All are welcome to join us for a celebration of Ed’s life on March 19, 2022 at 2:00PM at the Jericho Congregational Church in Jericho Center, where masking is respectfully requested. Please bring a written memory of Ed that you can share or drop into the Memory Box. Those who prefer may instead join a livestream of the celebration on the Jericho Congregational Church YouTube page (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCa_OX47igKvQEZTsgoN7bug). A private family graveside service will be held in the spring at Westlook Cemetery in Glover, VT.

Donations in Ed’s honor can be made to the Glover Cemetery Commission, c/o Glover Town Clerk, 51 Bean Hill Rd Glover, VT 05839
“Now he belongs to the ages.”
-E.M. Stanton, 1865