Obituary of Charles H Alexander

Charles H. “Charlie” Alexander, 96, of State Highway 68, Canton passed peacefully at Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center, Ogdensburg on Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 2021. Calling hours will be Thursday, December 2nd from 2-4 and 6-8 PM at the Lawrence Funeral Home & Cremation Services, Canton. VFW Post #1231 will provide a service for a fallen comrade Thursday evening at 7:45 PM. A memorial service will be held on Friday, December 3rd at 11:00 am in the First Presbyterian Church of Canton with Rev. Michael P. Catanzaro officiating. SPRING Interment will take place in Fairview Cemetery at 11:00 AM on Friday, May 27 in Fairview Cemetery with Military Honors by VFW #1231. Memorial contributions are suggested to the First Presbyterian Church of Canton, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Canton Post 1231, the Potsdam AMVETS POST 282 or the Fairview Cemetery, Canton. Charlie was born December 8, 1924 in Canton, NY, the son of the late Charles H., Sr. and Grace E. (Wainright) Alexander. He was raised and attended school in Eddy, NY and graduated from Canton High School and Canton A.T.I. At 17, Charlie enlisted in the US Navy during World War II, serving for three years. He took part in the Atlantic Theater, including the Normandy invasion on board LST-208, with 14 landings at Omaha, Utah and Sword Beaches, as well as the Pacific Theater, which included deployments to Guam, Saipan, and Tinian, before participating in the Okinawa Invasion. Following an honorable discharge from the US Navy, he married Margaret Elizabeth Norton on September 10, 1949 and graduated from Canton A.T.I. in 1950. The couple were married for 72 years, raising two daughters, a son and two nieces, in his hometown of Canton. Charlie served in the US Postal Service in Canton for 36 years, retiring in August of 1987. He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Canton since 1940, serving on the Board of Trustees and many years as both Elder and Deacon. He has also been a member of the VFW Post 1231 since 1953, a founding member of the color guard and is honored as a member of the NY State Veteran’s Hall of Fame. Charlie was a member of the Canton Goldenaires Barbershop Chorus for over 20 years, coached PeeWee Baseball, and enjoyed all levels of ice hockey, vegetable gardening and hunting. Surviving him are his wife Margaret of Canton; daughter Christine (Mike) Whitman of Colton; daughter Rebekah “Becky” (Roc E) McDaniel of Henderson, NV; son Charles “Chuck” (Angelique) Alexander of Timonium, MD; and; two nieces, Linda VanOrder of Moyock, NC and Jacqueline (Clint) Crabtree of Oak Island, NC; and four grandchildren - Michael Whitman, Michelle Whitman, John Alexander and Margaret Alexander. He was predeceased by two sisters, Beth Campbell of Canton, and Emily Gaffney of Sequoit, NY.