Joanne Dearing Alexander

Joanne Dearing Jirous Alexander, 82, of Vienna, Virginia, passed away on January 28, 2026, after a brief illness following a stroke.

Born on December 18, 1943, to Alfred Frank Jirous and Ruth Isabelle Jirous in Port Arthur, Texas, Joanne grew up in Seattle, Washington. She graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1962 and went on to earn a degree in History from Occidental College in Pasadena, California, in 1966. She later received a Master of Arts in Education from Stanford University in 1970, where she met her future husband, Tom J. Alexander. The couple married in June 1970 and had two children, Lynn D. Alexander and Todd S. Alexander.

Joanne dedicated more than four decades to education, beginning as a high school teacher in Pleasant Hill, California. She spent the majority of her career with Fairfax County Public Schools, serving as a reading specialist at Oakton High School and as a seventh-grade “Gifted and Talented” history teacher at Longfellow Middle School for more than 29 years before finishing her formal teaching at Manassas City High School. She was known as an independent, strong, and caring person with a deep love of learning, a quick command of historical facts, and a lively passion for discussing politics and the world around her. At home, she took great pride in her garden, tended her flowers with care, and was a gifted cook who created memorable dishes from memory. She cherished summers at the beach in Ocean City, Maryland, with her longtime teacher friends known as the Toucans, where she enjoyed reading on the balcony with a warm cup of tea.

After retiring in 2009, Joanne continued tutoring students in Fairfax County, gardened, spent time with her beloved cats, traveled extensively with Tom, played bridge with several groups, attended a military history group with her husband, and delighted in time with her granddaughters. She was predeceased by her parents, Alfred Frank Jirous and Isabelle Dearing Jirous, her sister Jane Isabelle Cancro, and brother-in-law Robert Cancro. She 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.