Ralston Stewart Alexander passed away peacefully, surrounded by loved ones, at Royal Jubilee Hospital on Saturday, June 29th, 2024
Ralston was born in Toronto, Ontario on September 3, 1944.
Predeceased by Karen Diane Alexander his loving wife of 49 years.
Lovingly remembered by his daughter, Kristen Doran, his son, John Alexander, his son in law, Simon Doran, his grandchildren Rory and Katie Doran, his sisters and brothers in law, Joan and Joe Chacko, Daphne and Robert Bickford, and Ann and Dave Gilliland and his nieces and nephews.
Ralston S. Alexander leaves behind a significant legacy both personally and professionally. He enjoyed a rich family life with his wife, 2 children and 2 grandchildren with whom he spent many special moments which will be forever cherished.
Professionally, he contributed to the field of law through a lifetime of committed and passionate work. Over his 50+ years on the Bar, he has had a significant impact on his clients, his colleagues at Cook Roberts LLP and his previous firms, Alexander Greene Delsey, Achtem Alexander & Pearlman Lindholm. He was consistently driven to volunteer his time for Legal Aid, the Victoria Police Board, and Presidencies at the United Way and the BC Law Society, amongst others.
He also enjoyed countless hours and laughs on the golf course, with his very good friends and partner in his later life, Joyce Russell, who brought much love and joy to his life.
He will be remembered for a legendary wit, and often, for being the funniest guy in the room. He was curious and wanted to see as much of the world as possible, and also eat all of the food found throughout! He will be immensely missed by all those he impacted over a long life, one that he truly relished living.
A United Church service will be held in the Sanctuary of the First Metropolitan Church at 932 Balmoral Road, Victoria, BC, V8T 1A8 on Saturday, August 10th at 1pm.
A Celebration of Ralston S. Alexander’s Life and reception will be held at the Uplands Golf Course, 3300 Cadboro Bay Rd, Victoria, BC V8R 5K5 on Saturday, August 10th at 3pm.
Flowers gratefully declined.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Ralston S. Alexander, KC Memorial Fund for a bursary to support UVic Law students in financial need.
https://extrweb.uvic.ca/donate-online/ralston-s.-alexander-memorial
Condolences may be offered to the family below.
www.McCallGardens.com.
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Ron Usher
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Jim and Cathy Crawford I enjoyed dealing with Ralston professionally, and appreciated his wit and humour. Great times were shared at the Lawyer/CA golf tournaments.
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Tom Davis I was shocked and saddened to hear of Ralston’s passing. He took care of our family’s legal requirments over multiple generations.
He had a way of relating to us that was special, genuine and professional in every respect.
I will miss those visits to his office which always included a few minutes patiently listening about my travails on the golf course.
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Bill Everett It was a pleasure to have met Ralston in connection with the governance of the legal profession. He provided strong leadership and an ability to deal with difficult issues effectively, with compassion and his ever present wit and humour which always lifted everyone’s spirits. Ralston was a true friend who always remained in touch. He will be greatly missed. Sincere condolences to his family and friends.
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Tim McGee, KC Ralston’s indomitable spirit inspired me from the day I first met him almost 20 years ago to our last meeting, the day before he died. As a lawyer and leader of the legal profession, he found solutions and compromises to difficult issues where none seemingly existed. He took took great pride in his work while never taking himself too seriously. His wonderful wit and love for life and friendship raised us all up. My condolences to the family. Rest in peace my good friend.
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John Conroy KC Sorry to hear of Ralston’s passing. I remember him from law student days and thereafter and always felt the greatest respect for him.
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Bruce LeRose KC As William Shakespeare said “He was a man,take him for all in all, I shall not look upon his like again”. Ralston was a great leader in our profession and a true friend to those of us who had the pleasure of knowing him. Rest in Peace my friend.
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Rita Andreone, KC Ralston was a fine solicitor and a mentor and resource to many of us who came along after. He took his role as a governor of the profession seriously. With razor sharp wit and aplomb, he handled any difficult issue. I am saddened to read of his passing, but grateful to have gotten to know him over the years. My condolences to his family and friends.
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Joan Young I am sorry to hear of his death. Ralston was a great lawyer and person and contributed much to the bar during his lengthy career. Sending my thoughts to his family and colleagues.
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Linda Russell We at CLEBC are very saddened to have learned of Ralston’s passing. Among all of his generous contributions to the bench and bar, Ralston shared his expertise as a founding member of the editorial board and a longtime contributor to the Land Title Practice Manual, as well as serving on the CLEBC Board of Directors. We are also grateful for the occasions in which he spoke for CLEBC during his illustrious career. His legacy is immense and he will be greatly missed. With gratitude, Linda Russell, CEO, CLEBC and our entire CLEBC team.
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Norrie Froman & Oz Nilssen I first met Ralston long ago when he was an articled student. I followed with interest, his exceptional career. Later, Ralston became our trusted lawyer. To his family, we send our sincere condolences.
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William Dexter Barbara and I were fortunate to have had Ralston as our lawyer since moving to Victoria 32 years ago. A visit to his office was always a pleasant experience no matter how serious the issue. His combination of wit and humour and ability to clearly focus on options made consulting with him a memorable event. We often joked that while we had retired early, it was the last thing we wanted him to do – and he did not. We shall miss him.
Bill and Barbara Dexter
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Murray Holmes I had the pleasure of working with Rally on a number of files when I was with Cox Taylor.An excellent lawyer and a great guy with a wonderful sense of humour.Condolences to his family
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Linda Boorman John, Kristen and Family:
I am very sorry for your loss. Ralston was the best! I enjoyed working for him for 25 years. I loved my job because he made it fun. He was an amazing person and will be missed by so many. I am so sad that he did not get to enjoy his upcoming retirement.
Linda Boorman
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Jo Ann Madill Dear Kristen and John,
Our family is so very sorry for your loss. Your Dad was respected as our lawyer and cherished as our friend during the last fifty years. He will live on in our hearts and memories. Much love to each of you and to your families. Yours sincerely, Jo Ann Madill
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Joanna Hadfield My memory bank has lots of slots filled with happy memories of Ralston, Karen and Kristin and John. My respect for Ralston was always huge as his good humour and good sense got me through a few tense times and I will always miss Karen. She was another wise Alexander and I treasure the memories of laughter and story sharing. So, Kristin and John, your parents are both missed and will always be missed by the likes of many people such as myself and I am thinking of you and the sadness you are having. I hope it helps to know that you will be in the thoughts of a great many people.
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Victor Simeoni To Ralston’s family; I first met Ralston in 1972 when he was teaching the conveyancing course to prepare us to write the B.C. Bar exams, prior to being called to the Bar. As he was senior to me by only a few years, I knew that I could go to him for assistance whenever I ran into problems in the practice of law…and there were always problems and difficulties ! Ralston was always affable and approachable and would willingly share his intelligence and experience with neophyte lawyers. He was a stellar gentleman and scholar and will be missed. IN PACE REQUIESCAT my brother-in-law. Vic Simeoni
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Grant Burnyeat K.C. Ralston was a great lawyer and contributor to the profession through his many contributions to the Law Society. He will be missed by all who knew him – always thoughtful and always great company. RIP my good friend.
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Victoria and Esquimalt Police Board Dear Alexander Family,
So sorry to hear of your loss. Ralston had such a passion for his community and we will always treasure his time on the Victoria and Esquimalt Police Board. His love for life and the joy he brought to those around him will leave a lasting legacy.
Sincerely,
Victoria and Esquimalt Police Board
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Katherine S O'Sullivan Dear Kristen and John,
Erin, Sterling and I are sorry to hear about the death of your father. From living at Ft. camp during our UBC days, I remember your Mom and Dad, a fun and friendly couple. Ralston could always bring a smile to Erin and Sterling’s faces whether it was a choir practice or a soccer game. Both Karen and Ralston were kind and understanding people.
With sympathy and good memories,
Sheanne O’Sullivan
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Ron and Simone Nicholls Kristen and John
I am deeply saddened by the passing of Ralston. Our last connection was when he was cruising around Greece. He seemed so happy and was really enjoying himself. He has been a great friend for 50 years and will be sadly missed. I will be at the reception on August 10 to celebrate Ralston’s life.
Ron Nicholls
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Judy Langstaff Dear Kristen and John , I felt so sad to hear of Ralstons end of life , he was always so kind and helpful to us over the years
I will be glad to visit with you all on the 10th of August with my girls who will bring. me over. Love. you. Judy XXXXOOOO
My condolences to all of Ralston’s family and friends. Working with Ralston on projects at the Law Society of B.C was a remarkable honour and education. His timely thought leadership and eloquence on many important provincial and national issues deserves lasting recognition. He is not and will not be forgotten.R.I.P.