Genevieve Alexander

GENEVIEVE MAHRE ALEXANDER was born July 9, 1918, in Sherman, S.D., to Alfred Mical Mahre and Gena Alette (Lettie), and died in Little Rock, Ark., on Dec. 17, 2016, at 98. Genevieve graduated from Augustana College in Sioux Falls, S.D., and followed in the footsteps of her late father by teaching high school for 35 years, finishing her career teaching secretarial and bookkeeping courses at Elmhurst High School in Elmhurst, Ill. During World War II she worked for the Navy in Washington DC, and because she was a pilot, was called to service to become a Women Air Force Service Pilot (WASP) when the war ended. Genevieve survived three husbands, Norman Bowman, Walton Alexander, and Douglas Barnes. While she had no children, she has many surviving cousins, nieces and nephews from the Mahre and Megard families, and from the Nestrud families. Her father died when she was five and her mother married A.J. Nestrud. In 1955 Genevieve fulfilled her lifelong dream of owning property in the Virgin Islands when she bought an apartment complex on Water Island. After managing the apartments for over 30 years, she sold the apartments and bought her Water Island home, Mermaid Manor. For most of her adult life she shared time between Water Island and Chicago or Little Rock. Genevieve became first active in the US Power Squadron in Chicago, and in 1990 obtained a Charter for a Power Squadron Chapter on St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. Genevieve remained a practicing Lutheran throughout her lifetime, most recently at Faith Lutheran Church, Little Rock. Genevieve was a founding member of WICA (Water Island Civic Association), as well as a member of several civic and professional organizations including the Chicago Area Chapter of the 99s, a national organization of women pilots whose first president was Amelia Earhart; Delta Kappa Gamma; the American Association of University Women; the Department for Professional Employees of the AFL-CIO. A memorial service will be held at Faith Lutheran Church in Little Rock at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2016. Memorials can be made to WICA or Faith Lutheran Church. Arrangements are by Ruebel Funeral Home www.ruebeulfuneralhome.com.