Local contractor Lon Alexander dies at 81

Local contractor Lon Alexander Jr., who took a business his father started in the 1950s and built it into one of the city's top paving and site preparation companies, died Wednesday night at Columbus Hospice following a brief illness.

He was 81.

Alexander was retired as president of Alexander Contracting Company on Fortson Road, a company that grew out of L.C. Alexander Grading and Paving Co., founded by his father in 1956. It remains a family-owned and operated business today with Alexander’s son, Lonnie, running it.

“It was a good company, but when he came back and took over it just blossomed,” said John P. Thayer, a local developer. “He really got aggressive and went after the business. His father was old school and Lon came in here and really got after it.”

Alexander, who earned a business administration degree from Georgia Tech, became active in the business in 1963 when he left the U.S. Army after six years to return home because of his father’s health. At the time, he was a captain stationed in Turkey.

The company does site preparation, grading and road work for large and small projects. The company’s work has included the National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center and Aflac’s Wynnton Road and east Columbus campuses.

In the early days, the company employed about 20 people and did not do Georgia Department of Transportation or federally funded projects. It has grown to more than 100 employees and does all types of site and road work.

Though he continued to go to the office, Alexander has not been involved in day-to-day operations for a couple of years.

First Baptist Church pastor Jimmy Elder has known Alexander for the last 13 years and the two men developed a strong friendship.

“He was gentle, generous, very engaging and fun loving in every way,” Elder said. “I loved his wry sense of humor. He was just a beautiful spirit.”

Elder said that another side of Alexander’s personality is that he was a perfectionist.

“He never did a job without paying attention to the people it impacted,” he said. “He would push things to make sure the impact was lessened.”

Alexander is survived by his wife of 58 years, Jeannine, who also worked in the family business. He has two children, Vickie Colson of Eutaw, Ala., and Lonnie of Columbus, and seven grandchildren. One of the Vickie’s sons, John Colson, is the fourth generation to work for Alexander Contracting.

Visitation will be Friday night from 6 to 8 at Striffler-Hamby on Macon Road. A memorial service will be Saturday at 11 a.m. in First Baptist Church.

This story was originally published July 21, 2016 at 1:32 PM with the headline "Local contractor Lon Alexander dies at 81."