Elizabeth "Betty" Alexander

Sarah Elizabeth (Betty) Moore Alexander, 99 ¾ years young, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, October 6, 2021 at The Chesapeake Retirement Community. Betty was born on November 20, 1921 in the home her father built in the Little England neighborhood of Hampton. She was the third child of Floyd William Moore and Sallie Tignor Crockett Moore. She was predeceased by her beloved husband of 68 years, Losen Luther Alexander Jr., her siblings Ann M. Rilee(Walter) and F. William Moore, Jr.(Selma West), a grandson-in-law and two nephews. She is survived by her daughter Carol A. Conway (Dr. Bruce A.) and two sons, Dr. Robert M. Alexander (Susan) and Dr. David J. Alexander (Emily Phil). She is also survived by six grandchildren: Robert B. Conway, Catherine C. Slider, Robert M. Alexander II (Ellen), Sarah E. Barrett (Liam), John S. Alexander and Michael D. Alexander (Lyndsay), three great-grandchildren: Jackson Barrett, Elijah Alexander, Hunter Alexander and several nieces and nephews.

Betty was a devoted wife, mother and friend to many. A native and resident of Hampton and life-long Chesapeake Bay blue crab lover, Betty grew up playing on the docks of the McMenamin & Company crab-packing plant where her father was the General Manager. She attended John M. Willis Elementary School and graduated from Hampton High School in 1938. She attended the College of William and Mary and was a member of the Gamma Phi Beta Sorority. Sorority life taught her to play bridge which became a lifelong passion. While at William and Mary she worked for the college librarian Dr. Earl Gregg Swem, typing for him his most noted publication, "Virginia Historical Index", an invaluable research document for genealogists and historians of Virginia. Working on this project instilled in Betty a love of genealogy. She was successful in tracing her branch of the Moore family back to "the boat" that left England in 1622 and in publishing her Moore family genealogy encompassing thirteen generations. This led to her involvement in establishing the Virginiana Room at the Charles H. Taylor Library in Hampton.

Betty was baptized and raised in Central United Methodist Church and later in life was a confirmed member of St. John's Episcopal Church where she was a member of St. Anne's Guild and the Flower Deliverers.

Always involved with her beloved Hampton, she was a past president of the Junior and Senior Woman's Clubs of Hampton, past president of the Dixie Hospital (Sentara Careplex) Auxiliary, the Hampton Host Lions Club Auxiliary, founding member of the Thursday Sewing Group, founding member and first president of the Merrimac Garden Club, and founding member and Membership Chairman of the Hampton History Museum. As a docent at the Museum she loved to tell the story of Hampton.

The family extends their sincere gratitude to the staff of The Chesapeake Retirement Community and to the nursing team in the Healthcare Unit, especially Amy, Susan, Rowena, Beverly and Chris, to her housekeeper Pat who was her good friend and to her team at Medi Health Hospice.

A Celebration of Life service and burial at St. John's Episcopal Church Hampton will be conducted by the Rev. Samantha Vincent-Alexander on Friday, October 15 at 11 am followed by a reception in the Church Parish Hall.

Masks are required in the church and Parish Hall. In lieu of flowers the family suggests donations may be made in Betty's memory to the Hampton History Museum, 120 Old Hampton Lane, Hampton, VA 23669 or to St. John's Episcopal Church, marked for Charitable Trust which supports the Church's Outreach ministry, 100 West Queens Way, Hampton, VA 23669.

R. Hayden Smith Funeral Home, 245 S. Armistead Avenue, Hampton, VA 23669 is assisting the family.