David Michael Alexander

Feb 11, 1946 -

Aug 21, 2025

David Michael Alexander, 79, died in Long Beach, Calif., on Aug. 21, 2025. His sister was with him. Born in Juneau, Alaska, to studio photographer Joseph Alexander and Alaska stateswoman Katie Hurley, David was an adored son and grandson. He graduated from Palmer High School in 1964, and received his B.A. in political science from Pacific Lutheran University in 1968. He was a page in the 1970 Alaska legislature, and later worked in Washington, D.C., for Representative Nick Begich. After Begich was lost in a plane crash in 1972, he stayed on in D.C. with Senator Mike Gravel's office and later as an elevator operator for the Senate.

He moved to NYC on New Years Day in 1975, to pursue a career in acting and spent the best five years of his life there, studying acting at the Herbert Berghof studio, serving celebrities at Soho's Spring Street Bar and Grill, opening an art gallery of masks from the NW and SE coasts of Alaska in his apartment—one mask appearing on the cover of Christie's—and taking in the Studio 54 era to its fullest.

While he returned to Alaska many times over his life, David was at heart a rolling stone and chaser of dreams. He had a great sense of style, enjoyed fine things and had a critical eye. He sold shoes to Ginger Rogers at the Saks Fifth Avenue in Palm Springs; he studied hotel management in Las Vegas while working in the counting room at the Dunes Hotel; he helped open the Banana Republic store in Seattle and the designer shoe salon in San Francisco when Saks opened a new store in Union Square; he spent time in Key West and made regular trips to Puerto Vallarta singing the sun in flight.

From a young age, David loved the movies and movie stars. Even late in life, he was waiting for his close up. During college, he acted in a summer show geared for tourists in Juneau. In NYC, he played a contestant on "To Tell The Truth," and he starred in many memorable domestic scenes of the Eugene O'Neill variety with his family.

David also loved history and had a remarkable memory for dates. He was particularly interested in the American presidency and the Civil War. Visiting Civil War battlefields, he had the feeling he was once there in another life. Reading biographies, listening to the Great American Songbook, bowling alone or in leagues, following Alaska and national politics, and watching the NFL all enriched his life.

He was devoted and grateful to his parents and grandparents. He had his grandmother's full name—Gyda Helgeson Torkelsen Samuelson—tattooed on his forearm and his grandfather's boat—the Dixon—tattooed on his upper arm. He wrote: "I could not have had had better parents who loved me. They went along with almost everything I did. I was a free spirit they didn't try to change." He had a big laugh and loved a good time. He lived without apologies and without regrets.

He is survived by his sisters, Susan Alexander Derrera and Mary Hurley Hilowitz; nieces, Alexandra Derrera and Hannah Hilowitz Pebler; and nephews, Aidan Derrera and Jacob Hilowitz. His remains will be interred next to his mother and grandfather in Evergreen Cemetery in Juneau, right behind his grandparents' home.