Wayne McAlexander

Walter Wayne McAlexander, 93, passed peacefully into his heavenly home Jan. 15, 2026. He was born in Tonganoxie, Kan., on Sept. 17, 1932, to Thelma Louise and Walter Harold McAlexander.  

Wayne was known for his love for his family, dry sense of humor and the peaceful, caring way he had about him. He had a strong faith in the Lord and looked forward to being in Heaven one day. He did many things in his long life, including graduating from Kent High School where he was lovingly called the “somber bomber” on his basketball team for being able to control his emotions no matter what was happening around him!   

After high school, he served in the Army in Germany. Later, he went to Boeing Drafting School and worked at Boeing during the day, then met Jeannie Woyak when sorting strawberries on a swing shift at Stokely’s in Kent, Wash., and married her April 30, 1960.  They lived in many places including Georgia, Ohio, and California while job shopping for Lockheed Aircraft Co. as a draftsman and was even an insurance salesman for a short time in the South, before returning and settling in Zillah, Wash., in 1974 on a small 10 acre farm where he took up the hobby of raising alfalfa, apple trees, a large garden and his three children. He worked many years at the Hanford Nuclear Power Plant as a draftsman. 

After retirement, he spent his free time working in the orchard, caring for the trees, driving tractors, raising produce and giving some away, and enjoying the outside. He was a hard worker who rarely sat for long periods of time. His long strides challenged us to keep up as we moved irrigation pipes with him!   

Jeannie and Wayne attended the Zillah Nazarene Church faithfully and had many friends there, enjoying being greeters and the many potlucks there. In 2014, they moved to Moses Lake to be closer to their children.   

After Jeannie passed away in 2015, Wayne met and married a wonderful lady, Alice Townsend. Together they enjoyed their church, friends, the sunsets and singing silly songs together. They got to spend a little over nine years together before the Lord called Wayne home.

Wayne was a loving father and grandfather and an attentive husband. He loved fiercely and always let his family know that he was proud of them, with sweet nicknames he had for us.

He is survived by his wife of nine years, four months, Alice, his children: Steven McAlexander, Connie (Mike) Suehiro and Tammy (Joe) Johnson, and five grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his first wife, Jeannie McAlexander, his sister, Betty Myette, and his parents.

The family thanks Golden Years Adult Care home for their loving care of Wayne. Services will be held Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, at 2 p.m. at Moses Lake Bible Church, 7801 Chanute Road NE, Moses Lake, WA. We invite you to join us there for celebration, food and fellowship! 

    Wayne McAlexander passed a solid work ethic down to his family and regularly told them how proud he was of them.