Alexandra Chase

Alexandra Chase of New City, loving mother, wife, grandmother, artist, feminist, friend and social worker, passed away at home on Saturday, March 27, 2021. With family by her side, she departed to join her partner of 60 years, Bill who passed away in 2019. Alex is survived by her three children (and two spouses): John Chase of Oneonta, NY, Vicki Chase (& Wayne) of Albany, NY and Chris (& Hiroko) Chase of Fukuoka, Japan. She is pre-deceased by daughter-in-law Patricia Chase, loving wife of John who passed away in 2018 and her sister Jewell Golden who passed away in 2019. Alexandra is survived by four grandchildren she loved dearly: her granddaughter Niki who was able to lend a loving hand and share quality time helping her father John care for Alexandra during covid; and three grandsons Alex, Dylan and Andy. Alexandra was born to Moe and Alice Kurtz in Brooklyn, lived in the East Flatbush area and graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School. After that Alex attended Brooklyn College where she studied art. She was a student of the painter Mark Rothko, whose work influenced her own style in later years. During that time she also met the love of her life Bill. They quickly fell in love and married in 1953. Together they set off on numerous adventures, criss-crossing the country by car, living in the Bay Area while Bill attended Berkeley, and traveling around Europe for six months in a VW bug, before starting a family in Westchester NY, in 1961 and settling in Rockland County in 1965. During the late 1960s through the 1970s, Alex's art skills blossomed and matured. She left behind a powerful collection of abstract art that adorned the house in Rockland and showed in local galleries. Wishing to do more for the people in her community, she attended Fordham University in the Bronx and achieved a Master's degree in Social Work. She went on to use her training to become part of a new direction at that time, helping local residents with developmental challenges leave institutional care and return, live and thrive in the community. Serving on numerous Boards and committees for the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Rockland, Alex devoted decades to helping with the direction and membership of the society. She was known for her directness, compassion, creativity and ability to help others to see their life through different lenses. She supported social justice issues and causes, and was a fervent early supporter of feminism and women's rights. Alex was an inspiration to her family and friends and will be dearly missed. Because of COVID a memorial service celebrating her life will be held at a future date. In lieu of flowers the family would appreciate donations in Alex's memory to United Hospice of Rockland. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Thomas & Brendan Flynn and the staff of Flynn Funeral & Cremation Memorial Centers, Inc. To offer an online memorial please visit www.flynnfh.com