Joanne Dearing Jirous Alexander
December 18, 1943 ~ January 28, 2026
Joanne Dearing Jirous Alexander, 82, of Vienna, VA, passed away on January 28, 2026, after a brief illness due to a stroke.
Joanne was born on December 18, 1943, to Alfred Frank Jirous and Ruth Isabelle Jirous in Port Arthur, TX, and grew up in Seattle, WA. After graduating from Roosevelt High School in Seattle, WA in 1962 Joanne went on to study History at Occidental College in Pasadena, CA.
After graduating in Oxy’s class of 1966, Joanne landed her first job as a high school teacher in Pleasent Hill, CA, kicking off a 40+ year career in education. She went on to get her Master of Arts degree in Education from Stanford University in 1970, where she met her future husband, Tom J. Alexander. Joanne and Tom wed in June 1970, going on to have two children, Lynn D. Alexander and Todd S. Alexander.
Joanne loved learning and teaching and was a teacher in Fairfax County Public Schools first as a reading specialist at Oakton High School and then as a “Gifted and Talented” 7th grade history teacher at Longfellow Middle School for over 29 years. She finished out her formal teaching career as a reading specialist at Manassas City High School. Joanne’s garden at home was her pride and joy, and she spent many weekends and weeknights pulling weeds and caring for her beautiful flowers. She was a fantastic chef at home and loved creating dishes from memory and then not writing down the recipes she came up with. People knew Joanne as an independent, strong, caring person who could help you with historical facts at the drop of a hat, argue about politics with you for hours, and laugh at the foibles of the world for days. Her teacher friends, the Toucans, kept up a tradition of going to Ocean City, MD to the beach almost every summer after school ended for over 20 years. She loved the beach and sitting on the balcony reading a book and drinking a warm cup of tea.
After retiring in 2009, Joanne spent her time tutoring local students in Fairfax County VA, gardening, cuddling her favorite cats, traveling the world with Tom, playing bridge with multiple bridge groups, meeting with a Military History group with Tom, and eventually playing with her granddaughters.
Joanne was predeceased by her father Alfred Frank Jirous, her mother Isabelle Dearing Jirous, and her sister Jane Isabelle Cancro and brother-in-law Robert Cancro. Joanne is survived by her husband, Tom Alexander, her children Lynn Dearing Alexander (spouse Rob T. Lewandowski) and Todd S. Alexander, her grandchildren Ada and Celia Lewandowski, and many nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held for Joanne on:
March 21, 2026
11:00AM Eastern Time
Vienna Presbyterian Church (VPC)
124 Park St NE, Vienna, VA 22180
The service will be available online streaming live from VPC’s website or via this link:
https://viennapres.online.church/
Services
Service: March 21, 2026 11:00 am
Vienna Presbyterian Church
124 Park St. NE
Vienna , VA 22180
703-938-9050
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Mrs. Alexander will be deeply missed and fondly remembered by the Bunchberry family. She had such a wonderful enthusiasm for a knock at the door — always welcoming us inside with open arms and a warm smile. She was one of my most loyal customers when I came selling Girl Scout cookies as a girl, and that tradition carried on years later when my own children knocked on her door. I will always cherish her friendly greetings and the genuine care she showed in asking after everyone. My deepest condolences go out to all her family and friends. Sending Mr. A, Lynn, and Todd so much love.