Sadly, we lost one of our pilots recently; in fact, one of our top pilots.
Jack Charles Alexander Sr. December 26, 2013
Cape Coral Daily Breeze
Jack Alexander, 62, of North Fort Myers, formerly of Shelbyville, Ind., went home to his Savior Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2013.
He was born May 27, 1951, in Greensburg, Ind. He owned the Hub Shoe Store in Shelbyville, Ind., prior to relocating to the Cape Coral area in 1989. He was the owner of Insurance Depot of Charlotte County, Fla., for the last 22 years. An active member of New Hope Baptist Fellowship in Cape Coral, his passion was helping others. He was a private pilot who sacrificially gave his time and talent to Angel Flight Southeast since 2001, flying 80 missions.
He was married to Sherryl (Puckett) for 40 years and is survived by his mother, Geneva (Straber); his brothers, Jim and John; his son, Jack Jr.; his daughter, Lyndsey (Allender); son-in-law, Jim; and three grandchildren whom he adored, Jalyn, Blake and Will.
A memorial was held at New Hope Baptist Fellowship in Cape Coral at 5 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 29. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to New Hope Baptist Fellowship, 431 Nicholas Parkway, Cape Coral, FL 33990, or to Angel Flight Southeast, 8864 Airport Blvd., Leesburg, FL 34778.
" We pray that you'll live well for the Master, making him proud of you as you work hard in his orchard We pray that you'll have the strength to stick it out over the long haulthe glory-strength God gives is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy." Col. 1:10-12
Jack's Angel Flight Southeast Eulogy excerpt:
"While writing the notes for this eulogy and reading Jack's biography, it occurred to me that by volunteering your special talents in the latter portion of your life, ensure that people will remember you as a contributor to society.
Angel Flight Southeast has 650 volunteer pilots; Jack was one of them.
Jack's Angel Flight Southeast pilot ID was number 439. To give you an idea of the significance of that number, Angel Flight Southeast is a thirty year-old charity, and are now issuing IDs in the 2600s. During his tenure, Jack flew frequently, completing 80 missions.
He was one of our transplant pilots, willing to accept missions in the middle of the night and flew at a moment's notice for a 4 year-old urgently needing transportation to Miami for an intestine transplant. In fact, Jack was always willing to re-arrange his schedule and fly last-minute missions for us that were difficult for us to fill.
He enjoyed flying children, adults and legally blind veterans.
Our charity specifically recognized Jack as one of our top pilots receiving nomination awards, for Pilot of the Year in the Southwest region for the past two years. He told me he was not able to make the ceremony this year because he was taking care of his mother who was not well, choosing family over personal recognition.
Steve King, a board member and fellow volunteer pilot upon hearing about Jack passing away, asked me to share with you a story about one of Jack's missions they shared earlier this year:
I thought I would share a few thoughts about that day. Jack was one of those "go above and beyond" guys. A real gentleman.
It was a Sunday afternoon. I got a call from Kathy at Angel Flight indicating that there was a mission in jeopardy. Apparently there was a two leg trip from Punta Gorda to Atlanta and Jack volunteered as the leg 1 mission pilot flying his Beechcraft Bonanza. He was headed to Keystone Heights to meet the hand-off pilot. Kathy called in a panic and said the second leg pilot had a door problem and was not able to fly. Jack tried to move things around to fly the patient and her significant other all the way to Atlanta, but a combination of bad weather and his time didn't let him do it.
Instead of giving up and stranding the passengers, Jack offered to fly them back to Sarasota where my Eclipse jet was based. The jet was capable of flying non-stop over the bad weather. Jack didn't hesitate and said "I am on my way!"
That was my first introduction to Jack. He was one of the most compassionate and caring guys I had the chance to meet. He quickly flew the passenger and patient to Sarasota and I met him at the airport. We had both our planes parked side by side and after chatting for a few minutes the passengers were on their way. He was apologetic about not being able to take this passenger all the way, but the thrilled the mission would not be scrubbed. I reminded and kidded him that he had already gone above and beyond in his volunteering of giving these people a scenic tour of the state of Florida. :)
Jack chuckled, gave the patient a hug, wished her well and sent me off with the patient and her significant other, even allowing me to taxi out before him, even though his engine was running before I started mine.
Jack exemplified what a great man, a generous heart and a passion to serve look like. The patient he flew to me was so appreciative of him for going above and beyond and I was blessed being able to finish what he started.
Jack was a giving heart. A true gentleman, a great pilot.
As pilots, it is always sad when we lose one of our own, every time we see a single cloud on a blue-sky day, we remember the ones we lost. Every time I encounter those, I will always remember what Jack did for Angel Flight Southeast and for those closest to him.
God speed Jack and may the wind always be on your tail and the skies always blue in front of you."
Steve Purello & Steve King
