Lt. Col. Elmo Walter Alexander, USAF

1918 - 2021

Elmo W. "Alex" Alexander, a long-time resident of Lodi, died at the age of 102 on January 7, 2021, at Brookdale Senior Living in Lodi. He was born in rural Kansas in 1918, the seventh child of nine children born to George and Lena Mae Alexander. His family struggled to survive as tenant farmers during the Great Depression, and learned the value of hard work, resourcefulness, and gratitude. Alex lost his mother before he turned four, and his father at the age of 18. He worked his way through college where he earned his pilot's license and a teaching degree in Industrial Arts. After graduation, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps Aviation Cadet Program. A year later, the U.S. entered into World War II. After completing two years of intensive training, Alex commanded a B-29 bomber that was stationed in Saipan, flying eleven long distant missions over Japan. After the war, Alex and his wife, Jeane Johnson, whom he married in 1942, settled down in Stockton, where they raised four daughters. For thirty years, he taught industrial arts and drivers training at A.A. Stagg High School and Franklin High School. In his spare time Alex used his wide range of skills to construct 3 houses, 2 sports cars, cabinetry, stringed instruments and numerous other projects. Upon retirement he began a new career repairing watches and clocks. Then he met and married his second wife Edith Rugolo Wilburn in 1972. Together they combined their musical talents to entertain many senior citizens in convalescent homes and assisted living facilities in the Lodi area. They also enjoyed golfing and dancing. After Edie passed away in 2007, Alex continued to compose songs, play guitar and sing for his fellow residents at Brookdale.
Elmo Alexander leaves behind four loving daughters: Deborah (Doug) Moore, Denise (Frank) Cantrell, Deidre (James) Dilg, and Dawn (Frank) Ortiz; stepdaughter, Marlowe (Dennis) Fischer; stepson, Roy (Cathy) Wilburn, Jr.; grandchildren: Erica (Daniel) Kenney, John (Amy) Maynard, Jared (Susanna) Dilg, James (Elizabeth) Dilg, Jonathan Dilg, Joseph (Jana) Dilg, Jordan Dilg, Julia (Aaron) Mossgrove, Natalie (Brent) Cole, Angela Ortiz, Jerrod (Christina) Fischer, Karla (Colin) O'Connell, and Roy "Harry" Wilburn III; and 19 great grandchildren.
He is predeceased by his wife, Edie; his brothers, Harold, Harry, Kenneth, Otto, and Albert; his sisters, Flossie, Velma, and Helen. He dearly loved all of the above named and their children! Alex's family has been blessed to have had such a wonderful, kind, and compassionate brother, father, stepfather, and grandfather for over 100 years! We will miss his beautiful voice, his silly jokes, his wealth of family history, his funny stories, and his tender heart.
Funeral arrangements are pending. A military graveside service will be held at Cherokee Memorial Park in Lodi. A celebration of life is planned for the spring.
Alex's family wishes to express its deepest gratitude to all those who comforted and cared for him in his final months during the current pandemic, particularly the staff at Brookdale Senior Living, and the wonderful caregivers from Vitas Healthcare.