Theodore Martin Alexander (Ted) was born on January 12th, 1932, in Tuskegee, AL, to Rosa Lee Daniels. Ted played football in high school and held the state record in track for two (2) consecutive years.

After high school he joined the US Army and served during the Korean War. Upon an honorable discharge, Ted received an engineering degree from Tuskegee Institute University before gaining employment with the Veterans Administration Medical Center (VA) in Cleveland, Ohio. He dedicated his life to Christ at an early age. Ted married Vera Richardson Hill (deceased) to which a daughter was born. He was a man of great work ethic. He went to work every day two (2) hours early and received many awards. Ted was a union steward and was the youngest and the first African American supervisor. He was head of the Engineering department at both the Wade Park and Brecksville locations. He took great pride in training his employees to have the best skill set possible. Ted retired from the VA after 35 years of excellent service.

Ted’s hobbies included cultivating a huge vegetable and flower garden. His sunflowers grew to be taller than he was. Ted delighted in sharing his harvest, especially tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, squash, onions, watermelons, and collard greens with neighbors, family and friends. It was common for his friends and neighbors to come home and find fresh picked veggies on their porches. Ted’s grandmother, Rosa Alexander, raised him to start each day with a bowl of oatmeal. The rest of his diet consisted mostly of the food from his garden, and fish he caught on one of his many fishing trips. Ted worked out almost daily at Bally Total Fitness and Lifetime Fitness. He would hit the weight machines, water aerobics, sauna, and the whirlpool. Ted bowled for most of his adult life and was part of several bowling leagues.

Ted enjoyed spending quality time with family and friends.

He loved his girls and was a great provider. He made sure they always had what they needed. He bought each one of them their first car in high school and made sure they could go to college without debt. He would take his girls to the Amish country, bringing back delicious treats, like cheese, corn, watermelon and bison. He enjoyed spending hours every week taking them to music, sports, dance, and karate lessons. He kept them practicing, in the gyms, or on the tennis courts.

He was a man that spoke his mind, pushed for equality amongst colored folks, and was committed to helping people excel in education and in their careers. He was known for giving advice and saying things like “they don’t know what you’re THINKING”, “keep your head in a book”, and “to be the best you got to put the time in”. He also supported other children and friends in their quest for greatness. He would take them to school, travel across the country to support them during sports’ training, games, and career moves. He believed and supported people in getting an education, not because he thought they should climb the corporate ladder, but because he believed colored folks needed an education to use as a leg up to help them compete.

Ted was preceded in death by his grandparents, parents, and his younger brother, Monroe. Ted leaves to cherish his memory, his stepdaughter Sandra, daughter Deirdra, granddaughters Alicia and Lauryn, great grandson Malakai, and a host of family, co-workers, and dear friends.