Don Alexander

We are so sad to announce the passing of our dear Don Alexander. He passed away peacefully on May 12, 2026 in Provo, Utah and was 91 years old. He is survived by his two daughters, Debbie Crosby, Doni Smith, his son in law Greg Crosby, his four grandchildren, Chris Crosby, Jon Crosby, Jessica Clark, Katie Crosby and his 10 wonderful great grandchildren. He is proceeded in death by his beloved wife Mary Ann, his parents Sam and Pauline Alexander, his brother Bob and his son in law Frank Smith. He was adored by his entire family and will be terribly missed.

Don was born on December 12, 1934 to Sam and Pauline Alexander in Seminole, Oklahoma and joined his older brother Bob in that rambunctious family of four. They were raised in the oil fields of Oklahoma and learned how to hunt and fish at an early age. Being so close in age, they were involved in everything together and enjoyed playing basketball and baseball with one being the pitcher while the other was the catcher. Don would take his love of baseball and play professional baseball as a pitcher at the age of 17. He missed his high school graduation to go on the road with the Philadelphia Phillies and played with them for two years before deciding to get serious and go to college to get a degree.

Don met Mary Ann, his sweetheart of over 70 years when they were in high school in Illinois. Don saw Mary Ann at the soda shop/book store and immediately fell head over heels in love with her. The only problem was that they had never even met! Don went up and introduced himself and asked if she’d go out with him on Friday night. Mary Ann said yes, after she asked around and found out that Don was a great guy. That was the start of a beautiful high school romance that lasted 70 years!

When Don decided to go back to college, he wanted to be a P.E. teacher. He went to the gym to sign up for Physical Education classes, but the lines were so long. Don saw that there was no one in the Civil Engineering line and because he hated to wait in lines, he chose Civil Engineering as his major. He went into the Oil and Gas Business and worked his way up the corporate ladder and retired as President of Verado Energy. That small decision to change majors based on the length of a line, affected the trajectory of his life and along with marrying his sweetheart created the beautiful and prosperous life that he and Mary enjoyed.

Don and Mary Ann had two daughters that they loved very much and Don treated his wife and his two daughters with love and respect and expected everyone else to treat his girls like the princesses that they were. He would do anything for them and loved them fiercely. He was very proud of his girls, his 4 amazing grandchildren and 10 wonderful great grandchildren and loved when they would come to La Quinta and visit them. He loved to brag about them, what sports they were playing, how their businesses were going, what great grades they were getting…! Don was all about his family and he and Mary Ann have been great examples of love, adoration and devotion to each other and to their beautiful posterity. Don and Mary Ann celebrated 70 years of marriage together in January 2024 with the whole family present and it was such a beautiful tribute to the love and commitment that had for each other. Mary Ann passed away peacefully in September 2024 with family holding her hands. Don has missed his sweetheart every day since then. They are reunited now in heaven and the love story continues…

Don’s funeral services will be on June 6th at 11:00 at Nelson’s Family Mortuary and are open to anyone who would like to come.