Charles “Wade” Alexander was born July 31, 1927, in Greenup County, Ky., to Seaph and Mabel Norris Alexander, the fourth of eight children. He passed away Feb. 17, 2010, at his home after a long and valiant battle against cancer.

Memorial services with full military honors will be held at 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 20, 2010, in the Chapel of Rader Funeral Home of Longview, Texas. The Longview Fire Department will also provide an honor guard.

Wade enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1945 and served for 20 years as a firefighter. In 1951, he wed Charlotte Ann Green in Jersey City, N.J. Wade’s career in the military took the couple to England, where they welcomed their daughter Mary in 1953. The family continued to grow with the birth of their son John in California in 1955. The family was stationed again in England and at several bases across the United States during Wade’s career. In 1965, Wade retired and family settled in Ohio. Wade then began a second career in Civil Service as a firefighter at Defense Construction Supply Center in Columbus, Ohio, where he worked for 18 years. After living in Wheelersburg, Ohio, for many years, the couple moved to Longview, Texas, in 1995 to be close to their children. Wade and Charlotte celebrated their 59th wedding anniversary with their family this Jan. 23.

Wade was a lifetime member of the Disabled American Veterans and The Air Force Sergeants Association. He was a member of the First Church of Christ in Wheelersburg, Ohio. He loved music, telling jokes, gardening, fishing, cooking and most of all, his family.

Wade is survived by his beloved wife, Charlotte Green Alexander; his brother and sister-in-law, Jimmy and Yuko Alexander of Grayson, Ky.; his daughter and son-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. James Langston (Mary Alexander Carver) of Longview; his son, John Alexander, also of Longview. Also surviving are granddaughter, Jonna Alexander Goodan and partner Jennifer Radke of Longview, grandson Joshua Carver of Longview, granddaughter-in-law, Tracy Carver of Longview, granddaughters, Meagan Alexander and Ashleigh Alexander of Columbus, Ohio; great-granddaughters, Natalie Goodan and Hailey Raye Carver of Longview and Hannah Alexander of Columbus, Ohio.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Beacon Hospice, 5016 Gilmer Rd., Longview, TX 75604.

A memorial guestbook may be signed at www.raderfh.com.