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- from "The Houston Chronicle", 3 Feb 2013
Marion Robbins Alexander, age 91, died at The Methodist Hospital on Friday, the 1st of February 2013. A fourth-generation Houstonian and member of one of Texas' pioneering families, she was born the 26th of April 1921 to Maude Taylor Robbins and Dr. E. Freeman Robbins. After attending San Jacinto High School for two years, she became a member of the first graduating class of the Mirabeau B. Lamar High School in 1938. She attended Sweet Briar College in Virginia before graduating with a BS in mathematics in 1942 from the University of Texas at Austin, where she was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. Following graduation from the University of Texas she married Walter Alvis Parish, Jr. on the 23rd of October 1942. Although they lived in various cities during the war because of Mr. Parish's top-secret duties as an Army officer assigned to Gen. Leslie Groves on the Manhattan Project, both of their daughters, Robbin and Betsy Parish, were born in Houston. Mr. Parish died suddenly and unexpectedly on the first of October 1948. Three years later she met and married fellow Houstonian Hugh Garrett Alexander, Jr. on the 21st of November 1951 and they had a son, Ford Alexander. After a lengthy illness, Mr. Alexander died on the 22nd of October 1986. Preceded in death by her parents, both husbands, her sister, Ellen Robbins Red, and her daughter, Marion Robbins Parish, Marion Alexander is survived by her daughter Elizabeth Ellen Parish, her sons, Ford Alexander and Hugh G. Alexander III and wife Carolyn, her grandchildren Taylor Alexander and John Alexander, her brother Dr. Horace Taylor Robbins, and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. She was a member of the Junior League of Houston and the Houston Country Club. A former avid golfer, she remained a true aficionado of the sport, always enthusiastically cheering the accomplishments of Phil Mickelson in the PGA. Her attention also was captivated by team sports, particularly football, in which she was a die-hard University of Texas fan and a newly converted follower of the Houston Texans. She was also an enthusiastic supporter of The Parish School, founded by her late daughter Robbin Parish. Since its beginning, the non-profit facility devoted to children with communication and learning differences has flourished, receiving national recognition for its unique accomplishments. Committed to the goal of perpetuating the legacy instilled by her daughter, she was particularly proud of the school's celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. A prolific reader, she read several books a week, several major news publications daily, and was always among the first to read the latest People magazine weekly. Her varied interests and outgoing personality made her a fascinating conversationalist, always interested in learning something new, a penchant that made her even more interesting to others. She not only made friends quickly, she maintained those friendships for decades. For all who knew and loved Marion Robbins Alexander, whether through a brief or lengthy encounter, the joy of her presence will be sorely missed. The family wishes to express its heartfelt gratitude to Marina Diaz for her ceaseless devotion and loving care. A memorial service, in celebration of the very full life of Marion Robbins Alexander, is to be conducted at two o'clock in the afternoon on Wednesday, the 6th of February, at St. Martin's Episcopal Church, 717 Sage Road in Houston. Immediately following the service, all are invited to greet the family during a reception in the adjacent Bagby Parish Hall. In lieu of flowers and customary remembrances, memorial contributions may be directed to The Robbin Parish Scholarship Endowment, c/o The Parish School, 11001 Hammerly Blvd., Houston, TX, 77043.
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1921 - 2013 (91 years)