REV. ROBERT C. ALEXANDER, 91, of Cherokee, Iowa passed away Wednesday morning,
April 20, 2011 at the Good Samaritan Society in Holstein.

Memorial services will be held Wednesday, April 27, 2011 at 10:30 a.m. at the Memorial Presbyterian Church in Cherokee. Rev. Ethan Sayler & Father Gene Sitzmann will officiate. Burial will be in Oak Hill Cemetery. Visitation will be held 1 p.m. until 8 p.m. on Tuesday, April 26th at Boothby Funeral Home with the family present from 6:30-8 p.m. Masonic services will held at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday evening at the funeral home. Military rites will be held at the graveside by L.A. Wescott Post # 2253 of the V.F.W. Online condolences may be left at www.boothbyfuneral.com. The family requests that memorials be made to the Ecumenical Institute.

Bob was born on August 25, 1919 in Chinook, Montana to Robert & Sydney Alexander. Bob's father was a Presbyterian Minister who came to America from County Donegal, Ireland and his mother was a Wisconsin teacher. Bob had four brothers who were, by order of birth, twin brother Sidney Phillip, John Calvin, David Gordon and Bruce Basil.

Bob graduated high school in Redwood Falls, Minnesota. He enlisted in the United States Army Air Force during World War II and achieved the rank of Private First Class. He married Myrtle A. "Lorry" Adams in 1950. Bob and Lorry adopted their daughter Victoria "Vicky" Michele Alexander in February 1955. Bob was ordained a Christian Minister at McCormick Theological Seminary, Chicago, Illinois in June 1951. He served as Chaplain at Central State Hospital, Indianapolis, Indiana 1956-1957, and as Chaplain-Educator at Cherokee Mental Health Institute, Cherokee, Iowa 1968-1986 and 1988-2000.

He founded the Clinical Pastoral Education program at CMHI, and worked with his friend and colleague Father Gene Sitzmann to develop the Ecumenical Institute based at CMHI in order to further the education of clergy and lay people beyond the hospital setting in the larger community of Northwest Iowa. During his years in Cherokee, Bob participated in the Cherokee Ministerial Association, served when needed as Minister in the Memorial Presbyterian Church in Cherokee, visited members of the congregation in area nursing homes, and established many long-lasting friendships.

He wrote and published (2001) Taking Break - Time For Me, a delightful book of inspirational essays in which Bob reflected about ordinary life experiences in a thought provoking manner. Bob loved to read and would often be seen in a local coffee shop quietly reading a book and sipping his coffee. He always welcomed a visitor to his table to sit down and talk for awhile. He enjoyed the hobby of metal detecting with the wand metal detector, and was quite happy when he found a metal object inches beneath the ground. Whenever possible, Bob took a vacation and traveled the required distance to visit his daughter or other members of his family, all of whom were very important to him. Bob completed fifty years membership in the Masonic Lodge.

Bob suffered a stroke January 24, 2004. He entered Careage Hills Care Center in Cherokee on February 13, 2004 and resided there until he moved to Good Samaritan Society in Holstein on October 27, 2007.

Bob was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, his adopted daughter, and three of his brothers.

He is survived by one brother, Bruce Alexander and his wife Barbara who reside in Florida, and their son Michael R. Alexander. Bob is also survived by nine more nieces and nephews as follows: Penelope Alexander Goldsmith (Werner); Victoria Alexander Marquez (Daniel); Phillip Alexander (Nicki Decker Alexander); James Alexander (Leonore); Patricia Alexander Stewart (Tim); Doug McDonald; Robert Alexander; Caroline Alexander; and Lisa Alexander (Tom Stanley).