ALEXANDER "ALEX" FERNANDEZ

Obituary:

 

Alexander (Alex) Rovillos Fernandez, 65 years old, of Hubert, North Carolina, passed away peacefully on early Monday morning, March 29th, 2021, with his loving wife, children, siblings and other family members around his bedside at Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in Charleston.

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Alex, the second of six children, was born to Dr. Damaso Manois Fernandez and Patrocinio (Pat) Rovillos Fernandez in Quezon City, Philippines, July 20, 1955.  His mother, Pat, relocated the family in 1966, to St. Louis, MO, so they could rejoin with their father.  After living in St. Louis for a few years, the family then moved to Iowa; first, Lamoni, then Ottumwa, for several years, where they became naturalized U.S. citizens in 1971. Next, the family settled in Robersonville, NC, where Alex graduated high school in 1974.

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After high school, Alex graduated with an Associate’s degree in Theology from the Way College of Emporia in 1978. Two years later, he married his sweetheart, Pamela (Pam) Lemacks in July of 1980 and they lived in North Carolina before Alex enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1982.

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During his lengthy military service, Alex and his family were stationed in Georgia, Germany, Texas, Kansas, Hawaii and lastly, to North Carolina where he retired. He had an unaccompanied tour in Korea and deployed to Saudi Arabia and Iraq during Operation Desert Shield/Storm. Before retiring from the Army in 2004 with an Honorable Discharge, Alex graduated cum laude from Methodist University in 2003, with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting. He continued working in public service by joining the U.S. Census Bureau as a Management Analyst until 2018, before retiring a second time, with his wife Pam in eastern North Carolina.

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Survived by his devoted wife, Pam, of 40+ years, Alex is also survived by three children: Joelle Fernandez of Raleigh, NC; Micah Fernandez of St. Louis, MO and Leah Fernandez of Dallas, TX. Joelle, a Senior Quality Control Associate at Grifolis, is engaged to Nicholas Featherston, also of Raleigh. Micah, a Master Sergeant in the U.S. Air Force, is married to Anna M. Fernandez; they have two sons, Gavin and Kason. Leah, BSN/RN, is now working with Edwards Lifesciences as a Clinical Field Specialist.

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Alex is also survived by five siblings: Elizabeth Roberson of Huntington Beach, CA; Katherine Sherman of Winterville, NC; Annabelle Fernandez of Raleigh, NC; Frederick Fernandez of Raleigh, NC and Louismary (Lory) Johnston of Spring Lake, NC.

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Additionally, Alex is survived by his father-in-law, Charles Lemacks, his wife Peg; his mother-in-law, Pat Simmons, her husband Benny; and three brothers-in-law, D. Timothy Lemacks, Russell Lemacks, and Reginald Simmons.

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On both sides of the family, Alex is survived by numerous nieces, nephews, grand-nieces, grand-nephews and cousins.

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God’s Word was a vital part of Alex’s life. Aptly written in front of his bible in Alex’s hand is the following, “May I always be able to say, ‘My God, my God, for your purpose was I born’”.  He also loved to study and teach the Bible. Alex wanted to pass on and share that love with his two grandsons, and was in the process of recording himself reading the Bible for them.

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Famous for his jovial character, Alex was known amongst his siblings and family as good-humored, and for resoundingly beating them in *every* family Trivial Pursuit match and Monopoly game. He was modest and often soft-spoken; however, he would not hesitate to engage people’s hearts with his serenades or recited self-written poems at birthdays, weddings and anniversary events. As a life-long St. Louis fan, he loved the Blues and Cardinals. Other things he loved included being outdoors, hiking and working in the yard.

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His life’s legacy is best defined by his devotion to God, and his love for his wife, children, grandsons (who called him Grampy), siblings, extended family and friends. Alex touched countless people throughout his life with his compassion, fellowship, genuine friendship, sense of humor and heartfelt love. He is and always will be, loved and remembered by all who knew him.

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Celebration of Life Service and Gathering:

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A Celebration of Life memorial service for Alex will be held Saturday, July 24, 2021, 11:00am - 12:00pm at Wilkerson Funeral Home, 2100 E. 5th Street, Greenville, NC 27858.

 

Graveside service for family and close friends will follow at Pinewood Memorial Park, 4150 E. 10th Street, Greenville, NC 27858.

 

All are welcome to join the family at 1:00pm on Saturday at The Seahorse Restaurant, 2301 Stantonsburg Road, Greenville, NC 27834.

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Donations:

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In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that donations be made to Special Operations Warrior Foundation or The Fisher House Foundation.  For donations, please indicate “In memory of Alexander R. Fernandez”.

 

Special Operations Warrior Foundation

 

Online donations: SOWF Online Donation Form

Directions: click on the box ‘I would like to dedicate this donation’, and for ‘Type of Tribute’ choose ‘In Memory Of’ and for ‘Tribute Name’, add “Alexander R. Fernandez”.  In addition, for ‘Send Notification To’ please state: Annabelle Fernandez; email: arfernan@gmail.com

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Gifts by check:

Please make your check payable to SOWF, indicate “In memory of Alexander R. Fernandez” and mail to:

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Special Operations Warrior Foundation

PO Box 89367

Tampa, FL 33689

 

Note: kindly add a request to send notification for donation check to: Annabelle Fernandez; email: arfernan@gmail.com

 

For donation questions, please contact Angel Mason, Director of Resources, at email: angelm@specialops.org and cc: Gary Acquino, Administration Manager, at email: gaquino@specialops.org 

 

Fisher House Foundation

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Online donations: Fisher House Online Donation

Directions: please click on box ‘Is this gift in honor or memorial of someone’. Then, for ‘Gift Type’ indicate “Memorial”, and for ‘Honoree Name’, add “Alexander R. Fernandez”.

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Also, for ‘Notification Preference’ section, kindly select “Mail” or “Email” and add your mailing address or email information. Then, for the ‘Notification From’ section, add “Annabelle Fernandez”.

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Gifts by check: Fisher House Donation Form (PDF)

Please make your check payable to The Fisher House Foundation along with the Donation form found online, indicating on the form “I would like to make my donation in memory of Alexander R. Fernandez” and mail to:

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Fisher House Foundation

12300 Twinbrook Pkwy, Suite 410

Rockville, MD 20852

 

Note: to acknowledge this gift check to a third party (family member), kindly include the following info:

Name: Annabelle Fernandez, email: arfernan@gmail.com

 

For donation questions, please call: 301-294-8560 or email: donations@fisherhouse.org

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