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.
25 Responses
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.
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.
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.
Sorry to hear of Ralston’s passing. I remember him from law student days and thereafter and always felt the greatest respect for him.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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