Mildred M. Alexander; Skilled Seamstress

Mildred M. Alexander, a skilled seamstress and longtime Ventura resident, has died at an Anaheim nursing home after a long illness. She was 87.

Born in Moscow, Ida., Alexander moved to Los Angles as a young woman to study dressmaking at a trade school. She worked for exclusive dress designer Elizabeth Dagnan after graduating.

“Mildred was an excellent seamstress,” said cousin Catherine Hess of Anaheim. “She did just beautiful work. She made everything by hand. A dress made by her was a very special treasure.”

Alexander married and moved to Sacramento for several years, where she worked refurbishing trailers and mobile homes for her husband’s company. In 1974, after her mother’s death, Alexander and her father moved to Ventura, where she cared for him.

Her hobbies included making stuffed animals and tin can picture frames. She was active with the Order of the Eastern Star for more than 50 years. In 1989, she moved back to Anaheim to spend her remaining years with Hess.

Alexander, who died Friday, is also survived by cousins Robert Hess and Joanne Mittmann of Anaheim.

Arrangements are under the direction of Ted Mayr Funeral Home in Ventura.