Funeral Services Set For Russell Alexander, Iselin Church Deacon, Purple Heart Recipient

MANCHESTER, NJ — Funeral services have been set for Russell C. Alexander, a church deacon who lived in Iselin for many years and in Whiting, according to Costello-Runyon Funeral Home of Iselin.

Mr. Alexander passed away Saturday at the VA New Jersey Health Care System facility in Lyons. He was 93.
Born in Newark, Mr. Alexander lived in Iselin for many years before moving to Whiting. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II and received two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star.

Mr. Alexander was one of the first ordained deacons at St. Cecelia's Church in Iselin, receiving ordination in 1981. He was a chaplain at the Menlo Park Veterans Home and a deacon at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Whiting. He also was a member of the Knights of Columbus Council 3639, where he was a Fourth-Degree Knight.

Mr. Alexander was a tool-and-die maker for Edison Mold and Tool in Kenilworth, retiring in 1983, and later owned and operated a printing shop for many years in Iselin.

He is predeceased by his daughter, Dorinda Alexander, who died in 2014.

Surviving are his wife of 69 years, Alice M. Alexander; his children, Russell C. Alexander Jr. and his wife Alice of Edison; Clara Wackerfus and her husband Gary of Phoenix, Arizona; Harry Alexander and his wife Patricia of Hightstown, and Michael Alexander and his wife Maryalyce of Union; two brothers, Robert Alexander of Wayne and Gorman Alexander of Florida, eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

A funeral Mass will take place Friday, April 7, 2017 at 10 a.m. at St. Cecelia Roman Catholic Church, Iselin.

In place of flowers, donations to the Alzheimer's Foundation (www.alzfdn.org) or the Autism Society (www.autism-society.org) would be appreciated. Arrangements were made by Costello-Runyon Funeral Home, Iselin (costello-runyon.com).

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