Fred Sharpe Alexander, III

Fred Sharpe Alexander III passed away on Friday, July 18, 2025. He was three days shy of his 84th birthday.

Fred was born on July 21, 1941 in Houston, Texas, the only child of Fred Sharpe Alexander Jr. and Bess Grace Alexander (née Tauber). The Alexander family moved to Amarillo, Texas in 1945; Fred Jr. and Bess divorced in 1951. Fred remained in Amarillo with his mother where he matriculated in the Amarillo school system, ending with Amarillo High School, from which he graduated in 1960. While in school, Fred was extremely active in athletics -- track, wrestling, and football throughout most of his school years. He played Defensive End on the Amarillo Sandies for Coach O.A. "Bum" Phillips, making all district as well as honorable mention on the all-regional team his final year.

Following his high school graduation, Fred attended Texas A&M College for one year before transferring to Texas Tech University his sophomore year to be closer to his ill mother. Once at Texas Tech, he pledged Sigma Alpha Epsilon Social Fraternity and majored in architecture, graduating with a Bachelor of Architecture in 1967. Upon his graduation, Fred moved to Denver, Colorado, where he remained for the rest of his life.

After he passed the Colorado State Architectural Exam in 1970, Fred opened Alexander Associates Architects in 1971, which specialized in restaurants and industrial projects. Fred also formed Alexander Industries, LLC in 1976, becoming a construction superintendent and general contractor. In addition to his companies, Fred worked for Daniel Mann Johnson & Mendenhal (DMJM) as their Denver office manager for 7 1/2 years and Carter Burgess (Denver Division) as the Architecture Office Manager for 2 1/2 years. Over the course of his working career, Fred had architecture offices in Albuquerque, New Mexico, St. Paul, Minnesota, Lamar, Colorado, and Denver, Colorado. He was also a member of the American Institute of Architects, becoming an Emeritus member.

Fred truly loved the sport of rugby. He began playing the sport in 1969 for the Denver Barbarians Rugby Football Club, a team he would continue to play with for 30 years. In 1985, he formed the Lamar Dust Devils Rugby Football Club. In 1991, Fred formed the Colorado Senior Ole Boys Rugby Football Club. He played with the team until 2010 when he transitioned to coach and later president emeritus, which he was until his death. He was also the USA International Representative for "Golden Oldies Rugby" from 2005-2020, one of seven worldwide representatives. In total, Fred played rugby for 52 years and in the following countries: Canada, Mexico, England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Czech Republic, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and Argentina as well as across the United States.

Fred is survived by his three children: Katherine, Zachary (Manuela Insixiengmay), and Andrew (Tessa Raftery); his beloved grandson Dorian; and multiple cousins in Texas. He is preceded in death by his wife Earnesteen O'Brien Alexander, his mother Bess Alexander, his father Fred Alexander Jr., and his step-mother Martha Alexander.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests a donation be made in Fred's name to either the Colorado Senior Ole Boys Rugby Football Club or the Rocky Mountain Cocker Rescue.

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