Ida Frances Alexander

Ida Frances Alexander, age 70, of Fayette, Alabama, passed away on Friday, October 24, 2025, at her residence. At Frances’s request, there will not be a traditional funeral service. A private remembrance gathering for family will be held on Sunday, October 26. A come-and-go celebration of life reception for all friends and family will take place on November 16, 2025, from 2:00–4:00 p.m. in the fellowship hall of Fayette First Methodist Church.Norwood-Wyatt Chapel will be directing the service.

Ida Frances Crutcher Alexander was born in Fayette, Alabama, on July 9, 1955, to John Parker Crutcher and Lucy Tarwater Crutcher.

She was a 1974 graduate of Fayette County High School. After graduation, she moved to Searcy, Arkansas, for a short time before relocating to Sterling, Illinois. There, she worked at a developmental center for children with special needs, which ignited her passion to pursue a degree in special education. She went on to complete her degree at the Mississippi University for Women in Columbus, Mississippi. .

After receiving her degree, Frances was employed by the Fayette County Board of Education as a special education teacher. She later worked in a group home for adults with disabilities located in Fayette. Continuing her education, she attended Brewer State Junior College’s School of Nursing and became a registered nurse. Frances fulfilled her calling to help others by working as a psychiatric nurse at both Taylor Hardin Secure Medical Facility and Bryce Hospital. Toward the end of her nursing career, she served as a home health psychiatric nurse.

Frances loved spending time with her family and close friends, many of whom she considered family. She had a deep love for animals, and it came as no surprise that she cared for and adopted several special-needs dogs. She enjoyed fishing at her family’s lake house, and her laughter could fill a room. The unique bond she shared with her grandson, John, was undeniably special—they were often heard greeting each other with a funny crow sound. Frances deeply loved and adored her children.

She was preceded in death by her parents, John Parker Crutcher Jr. and Lucy Irick Tarwater Crutcher; a brother, John Vandiver Crutcher; a sister-in-law, Dorothy (Dot) Stewart Crutcher and a son, Zachary Kenan Massey.

Survivors include her daughter, Victoria (Kain) Bertinot; grandsons, Parker Collier and John Kenan Murff; nieces, Julie Crutcher Morgan (Tim), Luci Crutcher Broaddrick (Bret), and Susan Crutcher Clements (Tim); nephew, Jim Crutcher; as well as several great-nieces, great-nephews, and close friends.