Eleanore Alexander
On March 17, 2022, Eleanore “E J” Alexander, loving mother, grandmother, and aunt, passed away peacefully at the age of 87.
Eleanore was born February 9th, 1935 in Grafton, North Dakota. She graduated from the Walsh County Agricultural School in Park River and then Moorhead State Teachers College. After teaching elementary school for several years, she moved to Minneapolis to became a flight attendant for Northwest Airlines. She married Gerald Jost in 1960 and they along with their daughter, Catherine, relocated to Goleta California in 1962. It was there that Eleanore began her career at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She started out as secretary in the Germanic and Slavic Language Department and retired in 1992 as an Assistant Dean of Budget and Administration for the College of Engineering. It was at UCSB that Eleanore met the love of her life, Alec Alexander and they were married in 1996.
Eleanore had a passion for travel. First traveling to Europe as a flight attendant, then living in South America and the Dominican Republic. She and Alec spent their years together making numerous visits to Greece and many other destinations. She also traveled frequently with friends and enjoyed trips with her daughter and her niece Cindy. Eleanore loved spending time with her grandsons, volunteering for Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic, shopping, and going on rigorous walks alone or with anyone who could keep up with her. She will be remembered for her great sense of style and fashion, generosity, friendship, and zest for living. Eleanore was proud to call Santa Barbara home for nearly 60 years. In 2018 she moved to a memory care facility in Las Vegas to be closer to family.
She was preceded in death by her husband Alec Alexander, her parents Ted & Dora Loftsgard, brother Eugene (Pearl) Loftsgard, brother Harvey (Grace) Loftsgard, brother Laurel (Carol) Loftsgard, and sister Ruth (Gene) Larson. She is survived by her daughter Catherine (Louis) Hendrickx and grandchildren Drew, Chet, and Leif (Jordan), as well as many nieces and nephews.
A service for Eleanore will be held on April 7th at Good Samaritan Lutheran Church in Las Vegas at 4:00pm. A celebration of life will take place in Santa Barbra at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, those who wish to honor Eleanore are requested to make a donation to the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health (https://www.keepmemoryalive.org/) or a charity of their choice.