Mavis Gwendolyn Ridout Alexander's Obituary
Obituary for Mavis Gwendolyn Ridout Alexander
September 14, 1926 – June 25, 2025
Born in London, England. Died in Memphis, TN.
Mavis Alexander was the eldest of four sisters born to Gwendolyn Bennett Ridout and Walter Francis Ridout, who remained unabashedly in love until her mother died of heart failure in 1961. Sisters Anita Price of Scottsdale, AZ, and Daphne Hill, of Southport, Mers., England, predeceased Mavis. She is survived by her sister Norah Sturgess, of Watford, Herts., England, and five nieces and nephews. Mavis’s husband, Auvergne Milton Alexander, died of brain cancer in 1997. They had been married for 52 years.
Mavis was a quiet, practical, gentle, and loving woman, and was referred to by all who knew her as a spirited “lady” of the old school. She grew up during World War II in London and Watford, a commuter suburb; her street was bombed toward the end of the war, but her family’s home, though damaged, was left standing. As a teenager she volunteered for the National Fire Service, finished high school, and soon met her future husband, who was stationed in England, part of Patton’s Third Army. She felt great affection for animals and nurtured her succession of beloved cats from childhood until moving to Trezevant.
Mavis and Auvergne returned to England when she became pregnant with her first child, Lorraine Denise, then returned to the US, settling in Litchfield, Minnesota, where their son, Keith Milton, was born. The severe winters drove them south to Memphis, which became their home for the rest of their lives. The family attended and felt an integral part of St. John’s Episcopal Church for many years. Mavis moved to Trezevant Manor in 2009, eventually transitioned to the Memory Floor, and then in 2015 to Allen Morgan. She was very strong and determined and survived Covid-19 twice, but dementia took over her life, as it had her sisters’.
She will be remembered with profound love by Lorraine, of Millbrook, New York, and Keith, of Memphis. She is also survived by her three grandsons and their families: Ben and Kristen Alexander; Andrew and Sarah Alexander, whose loving attention to her was unstinting; and John, Danielle, and Dean Alexander. All reside in Memphis.
A memorial service will take place at St. James Anglican Church at 1:30pm on Thursday, July 3. In lieu of flowers, please send any donations to the Humane Society of Memphis and Shelby County, https://www.memphishumane.org; The Trezevant Foundation, https://www.trezevantmanor.org; or the National Institute on Aging, at https://www.nia.nih.gov.
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