Kathleen Alexander

Mrs. Kathleen Marie Alexander, 65, of Middletown, died Monday, March 17, 2008 at Frederick Memorial Hospital. She was the wife of T. Joseph Alexander, whom she married on May 26, 1979.

Born September 22, 1942, in Natrona Heights, Pa., she was a daughter of the late Richard E. and Ann P. Barch Braun. She received her bachelors degree in education and master's degree in English from Ohio State University and taught French and English for a number of years in Columbus, Ohio. More recently, for the past 27 years, she has been associated with Lonza, Walkersville and had been serving as global training manager for the company.

She was a devout member of Holy Family Catholic Community, Middletown and had served in many positions including the Pastoral Council and as leader and headed up the Eucharistic Ministery Program of the church. She was also instrumental in the creation of the Middletown Food Bank and had volunteered with the Religious Coalition for Emergency Human Needs and worked at the Alan P. Linton Shelter and with the Exodus Program.

She was recently awarded the Archdioceses of Baltimore Medal of Honor.

Her volunteer work extended beyond those in her church community and the less fortunate and had for many years involved her personal fight with breast cancer and to which she devoted numerous hours that have helped in research, treatment and hopefully cures for breast cancer victims.

She regularly participated in the local Relay For Life, and in 2006, she successfully completed the 39-mile Avon Breast Cancer Walk, to Washington, D.C., with fellow human recources team of Lonza and her devoted Breast Cancer survivors group.

Besides her husband, she is survived by two children, Jonathan Cope and wife, Stephanie and their children, Max and Dylan, of Columbus, Ohio and Jennifer Pulliam and husband, Nathan and their children, Caleb and Maddox, all of Delaware, Ohio; one sister, Patricia Vergon, of Ann Arbor, Mich.; two nieces, Allyson Hartung and husband, Pete, Aimee Vergon and fianc?, Chad Gibbs; two aunts, March Modzielewski, of Pennsylvania and Dorothy Tuwalski and husband, Ray, of Ohio.

She was excited and anticipating the birth of her first granddaughter in June 2008.

The family will be receiving friends from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday, March 24, and then again from 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesday March 25, at Holy Family Catholic Community, 7321 Burkittsville Road, Middletown, where a Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. Private interment will be in Saint John's Cemetery, Frederick.

The Keeney and Basford, P.A., Funeral Home, 106 E. Church St., Frederick is in charge of arrangements and online condolences may be shared with the family at www.keeneybasford.com.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations to the Avon Foundation, 1345 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10105-0196, 866-505-AVON, www.avon-foundation.org or to Holy Family Catholic Community Building Fund, 7321 Burkittsville Road, Middletown, MD 21769.