Blanche Wodka Alexander RN, BSN, MSN, of Gorham, made the decision to stay in the comfort of her home to leave this life on Sept. 4, 2023, surrounded by family and compassionate Northern Light Hospice nurses. She was born in Montville, Conn. on Aug. 13, 1931, the daughter of Polish immigrants, Kamilla Brokowski and Walter Stanley Wodka. She is survived by husband of 65 years, David R. Alexander; daughter, Anne Alexander (Julio Reynoso), of Windham; son, Ross Alexander (Penny Alexander), of Fort Collins, Colo.; grandchildren, Rafael Reynoso (Moises de Moya), of Stuttgart, Germany, Kenna, Eve, Ila; and great-granddaughter, Eden, in Colorado. Blanche was proud that her granddaughter Eve followed in her footsteps to become a registered nurse, and was able to provide supplemental care in her final days.
Preceded in death by her parents; her sisters, Helen Hall, Henrietta Pearl; and her three brothers, John, Henry, and Edward.
Graduating from Norwich Free Academy in Connecticut in 1948, she received her RN certification in 1951 from New England Hospital for Women and Children, Boston, Mass. Her specialty after graduation was labor and delivery. In 1953 she joined the U.S. Air Force Nurse Corps serving stateside during the Korean War.
Blanche came to Maine to care for her mother and worked as a floor nurse at what is now LincolnHealth’s Miles Campus in Damariscotta where she also met David.
She retired from nursing until the children were in school, then began a career in school nursing in New Jersey and Ohio where she helped form the Ohio Association of School Nurses. Serving as secretary she wrote to the governor and created School Nurse Day. She was also instrumental in legislature that degreed school nurses would be paid on the same scale as teachers. While in New Jersey, Blanche earned her BSN certification from Fairleigh Dickinson University.
When David’s business was relocated to Wisconsin she established, in cooperation with the American Heart Association, a blood pressure program for the Waupaca County Health Services.
Moving to Maine she became assistant professor in the nursing department at St. Joseph’s College, required to obtain a master’s in nursing from University of Southern Maine. At St. Joseph’s, she taught community health nursing, classroom and practicum. Her master’s thesis presentation on the prevention of osteoporosis was shown to women’s groups in Maine.
She was a member of the American Nurses Association for her entire career. She represented Maine nurses four times at their National Convention, serving on committees and boards for her nurse associations. Her state of Maine registered professional nurse license, first issued in 1982, recently expired on her birthday, Aug. 13, 2022.
Over the years she was a Girl Scout leader, PTA officer, homeroom mother, giving sugar cubes with the early polio vaccines, assisted with flu, school hearing, and vision clinics. She served on the Gorham Zoning Board of Appeals and as president of the Gorham Health Council.
Her first love was her family, with a close second love of nursing. Blanche was a strong feminist who believed in equal rights for women everywhere. Her big disappointment was the failure to pass the Equal Rights Amendment.
At age 80 Blanche co-founded the Lakes Region Senior Center serving as president for 10 years. She always spoke of it as a “labor of love” that gave her a strong purpose in life during her retirement years.
In lieu of flowers donations may be sent to the following: Lakes Region Senior Center, 40 Acorn St., Gorham, ME 04038; ANA – Maine Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 647, Kennebunk, ME 04043; GRR! – Grandmothers for Reproductive Rights, P.O. Box 950, Bath, ME 04530.
To express condolences or to participate in Blanche’s online tribute, please visit dolbyblaissegee.com.
