Alexander Pausley - Obituary

lexander “Alex” Pausley, 88, of Cleveland Heights, OH, passed away December 16, 2020 from heart failure. The only child of Alexander Pausley, D.O. and Elsie Alexandra Rydberg Pausley, Alex was born December 6, 1932, in Providence, RI. He attended St Dunstan's School in Providence, RI, an Episcopal Choir School where Alex was a boy chorister for St. Martin's Church. He then went to boarding school at Philips Academy in Andover, MA graduating in 1950. In 1954 Alex received a B.S. degree in Business and Engineering Administration from MIT. His first job was with General Electric in the Manufacturing Training Program, a 3-year series of rotating job assignments and evening classes. In 1957 Alex resigned from his job as a foreman, manufacturing specialty electric motors, at GE’s Fort Wayne Works to pursue a graduate degree at Harvard University. In 1959 he received an MBA from Harvard and rejoined GE in the Defense Operations in Syracuse, NY. While living in Syracuse, Alex met Barbara Hearne; they were married on September 17, 1960. He transferred to GE Lighting in 1964, grateful to be out of the military business. He relocated with his family to Chicago, IL where Alex was a Lamp and Electronic Parts sales representative, covering 13 states in the Midwest. In 1966, after two years in sales, Alex was promoted to a management position and transferred to the world headquarters of GE Lighting in Cleveland, OH. The family moved to Cleveland Heights where Alex would reside for the next 54 years. After a series of management responsibilities in sales and marketing, Alex retired from GE with 41 years of service in June 1995. At that time he was responsible for the administration of pricing for all GE Large Lamps in the United States and Canada. Alex was active in his community. He was a member of the Cleveland Heights-University Heights School Board from 1975 to 1981 during which time he served multiple terms as the board’s Vice-President and President. From 1989 to 1995 Alex was a member of the CH-UH Public Library Board and was elected President in 1995. He also served on the boards of several city and local community and church organizations. After retirement Alex was active in Habitat for Humanity as a site supervisor on the construction of houses in both Cleveland and Florida. Alex is survived by his two daughters, Sara and Rebecca. He was predeceased in 2018 by his wife, Barbara and in 1988 by his son, Andrew. He also leaves behind four grandchildren: Elizabeth, Jonathan, Daniel, and James. A memorial service will be held for Alex once the need to social distance and quarantine subsides. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Alex’s name to The Andrew Pausley Memorial Fund at St. John’s College in Annapolis, MD. Condolences may be made by using the Memory Wall tab on this page.