Henry Richard Alexander, Sr. died peacefully on Friday, March 16, 2012 at his home in Natick, MA after a brief battle with cancer. Born of June 13, 1925 to Anna and Henry Alexander in Scranton, PA, he was raised in Manhattan where he attended Xavier High School. He received his undergraduate degree in electrical engineering from Rutgers University and taught there for two years while he obtained his Masters’ degree during WWII. He received a Ph.D. from Princeton University in 1952 and started his career with the Office of Naval Research in Washington D.C. He was assigned as an ONR civilian scientist liaison officer to the British Ministry of Defense in London from 1955 to 1956. He subsequently worked at Stromberg Carlson in Rochester, New York before moving to Wellesley, MA and joining Raytheon Corporation in 1962 where he raised his family and worked for 47 years. During his career at Raytheon he had a major role in the development and application of advanced radar technologies that were instrumental in the national defense effort through the end of the cold war and in military operations in the first and second Gulf Wars.


He was a devoted husband and father and maintained a life-long interest in athletics. He swam short and intermediate distance freestyle competitively for Rutgers University and participated in many amateur swimming and running events throughout his life; he finished a local triathlon while in his 60s. He was a charter member of the Wellesley Sailing Club and an avid skier.


He is survived by his loving wife of almost 60 years, Cynthia M. Alexander, his five children H. Richard Alexander, Jr. of Potomac, MD, Cynthia A. Capwell of Charlotte, NC, Catherine C. Alexander of Arlington, MA, Anna (Molly) A. Tackabery of San Rafael, CA, Frederick J. Alexander of Reading, MA and 8 grandchildren.


A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Saturday, March 24, at 10AM in St. John the Evangelist Church, 9 Glen Rd. Wellesley. A private interment will be held at a later date. Visiting hours will be held at the Henry J. Burke & Sons Funeral Home, 56 Washington St. Wellesley Hills, Friday evening from 3-7PM. Donations in memory of Mr. Alexander may be made to the American Cancer Society, 30 Speen St. Framingham, MA 01701 or to www.cancer.org.

Provide comfort for the family by planting a tree in memory of Henry Richard Alexander, please visit our Heartfelt Sympathies Store.