Interment Floral Hills Cemetery, Kansas City MO.

October 30, 1971.

"God, what a blessing that child was! At the same time she was such a courageous little girl that your heart swells with the love of her.

WebOther Elizabeth Deford's; Court Records Found! Upon re-reading this now as an adult, it's easy to see why Alex's story made such an impression.

Joseph Sherman DeFord, 54, of North Vernon died at 2:55 p.m. Wednesday, March 22, 2006, at his home. Frank Deford (Craig T. Nelson) and his wife, Carol (Bonnie Bedelia), are still struggling to cope with their loss, and things in general are getting worse, not better.

I read it as a young teen and it affected me so much and I have never forgotten Alex. He knew how much she could take. But what it's like to be 8 .

What Alex meant was "wouldn't this have been great" if she were going to live out a normal life. Verify and try again.

It had never occurred to me that because she knew the situation so well, that a 10-year- old wouldnt understand .

Off the top of my head I can't recall anything else that I've read that has had this reaction. The Defords took her to several hospitals, but did not receive a correct diagnosis. Alex's father is Frank Deford, a writer for Sports Illustrated magazine.

He tells the Washington Post that they picked a small, unemotional scene, in which Alex and Carol were descending an escalator at a shopping mall.

For example, Jake Weinstock wrote: "One time in school last year, Stephen Baker made Alex laugh so hard that she fell in my arms and then she laughed even harder.

Residents of Fawn Creek Township tend to be conservative. It was how they survived, he says.

Born March 5, 1952, in Bedford, Mr. DeFord was the son of Max and Betty Alice Wright DeFord. A new introduction contains information on the latest cystic fibrosis research, and a touching postcript reveals how the Deford family came to terms with the loss of Alex. . For a better shopping experience, please upgrade now.

People leave things at her grave. . It is to be hoped that these understandably disgruntled folk will reconsider, at least for a couple of hours, and give a chance to ''Alex: The Life of a Child'' on ABC this evening at 9 o'clock. An illustrious author, Deford wrote 18 books over the course of his career.

There was a void there when Alex died.

The sky was so blue, and all of a sudden it seemed as if Alex's presence had expanded and filled everything. Frank Defords Family: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved.

She was right. One of my favorite books of all time.

Deford retired from NPRsMorning Edition earlier this month, after 37 years with the program.

I wish I could thank him for telling us about her, because without this book we would not have known how wonderful she was.

Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request.

Are you sure that you want to delete this flower? If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. Not like the movies, where they don't really die.

[1], The start of third grade was the beginning of the end for Alex when she had a collapsed lung.

Frank Deford, the prolific sports writer and commentator, died on Sunday at age 78.

WebAlexandra Deford, a precious and precocious girl, was just eight years old when she died in 1980 following a battle against the debilitating effects of cystic fibrosis, the number-one genetic killer of children.

This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates.

", And so then Alex and I laughed. There was a problem getting your location.

The Defords "were involved in the process all along. His account is the basis for an ABC special Wednesday at 9, starring young Gennie James as Alex, Craig T. Nelson as Deford, Bonnie Bedelia as Carol Deford and Daniel Corkill as her brother, Christian.

The rewards quickly outweigh the formidable demands.

.

I couldn't tell you how many times I teared up.

View Center. Residents of Fawn Creek Township tend to be conservative. Frank Deford's mouth twisted in revulsion. However, reading the account of a father watching his child die - I had not realized just how truly brutal it could be to all involved, how this disease could take over the lives of all it touched.

There was still no cure, not even a control drug, in sight. It is not an objective book, not objective at all. As a parent, I can't imagine watching my child suffer and die. Funeral Home website by.

But there is not that much for a child.

I was driving along in my carthis was right after she diedand it was a beautiful clear day.

Sigh.

He married Kathy Fletcher on June 12, 1998, at Commiskey Baptist Church.

The doctor informed me that CF patients could expect to live until 20.

I read this book to see how the author would handle the difficult subject of his daughters cystic fibrosis, because Ive been working on a memoir of my own about my disabled son.



She sleeps in Alex's bed.

The email does not appear to be a valid email address.



WebThe City of Fawn Creek is located in the State of Kansas. Fawn Creek Township is in Montgomery County.

Frank Deford is survived by his wife and their two surviving children, Scarlet and Christian.

She is clearly an older soul than her father - of which he could not be more aware. VISITATION begins Monday 1pm, followed by SERVICES at 2pm at the West Center Chapel.

It was a nice tribute to him.

We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged.



Alex pleaded with me to include her in the act the next time I made up a message, and so one day, when she was depressed because she had just found out that she had to go back into the hospital, I created a new routine with a good part for her, and we practiced it.

She was such a bright girl, despite her disease, and so strong from it as well.



Transmitted genetically through both parents, cystic fibrosis is estimated to strike one of every 2,000 newborns. This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. So far it has done well, but he said he didn't care about that.

Alexandra Deford is the daughter of the sports writer Frank Deford and she died in 1980 at just eight-years-old.

A physician friend "arranged for us to have dinner with two other couples who had had children .

Fawn Creek Township is located in Kansas with a population of 1,618. He is survived by his wife, Carol, and their two children. ", Cystic fibrosis is "the largest fatal genetic disease in the world.

Eventually Carol found a flexible program at Sarah Lawrence College that enabled her to get away a little from the constant struggle.

Let's not pretend.''. And at the same time no one should read it. At the end she needed oxygen and finally, when her lungs kept collapsing, surgically implanted tubes in her chest.

I don't know what to say about this book.

I think "Alex The Life of a Child" is a good title for the book, because it is about a child and the eight years of her short life.

And hers, of course, was the most difficult.

Then we all laughed.

[1], John O'Connor writes about the film in a review for The New York Times, saying it is "generally shrewd enough to let the intrinsically affecting story tell itself.

"I'm going home to die now," she said, "but don't you tell my Mommy or Daddy because it'll upset them.". I just said, "Yes," and after we hugged each other, she left the room, because, I knew, she wanted to let me cry alone.

Burial will be at Hillcrest Cemetery in North Vernon. She's my hero.".

I'm also able to shut myself off. And wondering at the magnificent spirits that sometimes come and inhabit the bodies of the ones we do know and really love.

I really felt that I would be irresponsible if I did not write the book.



It wasn't only that she was my favorite child; it was just that there was no place else I'd rather be than with her.

DeFord, Alexandra R., Mar 2, 1991 June 25, 2010. Reviewing her work, I can see that Alex did begin to develop some specialties in the art line as she got older: houses (always with smoke curling out of chimneys), bunny rabbits and dogs (you could tell them apart because bunny rabbits were the ones in spring), flowers and trees, both more resembling lollipops, and rainbows.

A dramatization of the book aired as an ABC special, starring Gennie James as Alex, Craig T. Nelson as Deford, Bonnie Bedelia as Carol Deford and Daniel Corkill as her brother, Christian, and its script earned an Emmy nomination in 1986.

The victim in this film is Alexandra Miller Deford, who was born Oct. 30, 1971, and died Jan. 19, 1980. I think it's important to try and learn about those who are different from us in any way and try to see waht their life is like. Alex was always a great laugher. She was, on the one hand, utterly vulnerable, helpless against this disease that was destroying her day by day, and yet she was, often, quite cooleven professional, I would sayin the way she conducted herself as a patient, as a victim.

But our Chris is a Christian, and going from the "Chris" to the "-tian" requires the bridge of an sh sound, so that spelled phonetically, it is more properly Chrishtian, and therefore, in the diminutive, it really should be Chrish. My heart plummeted, and I must have had a stricken look on my face, because the doctor quickly assured me that CF wasn't an immediate death sentence. "That's absolutely beautiful, Alex. What is it?".

Add to your scrapbook.

He was obviously deeply troubled, and he and the teacher both tiptoed around, asking a lot of careful questions about our home life.

Even my mother remembers this book to me: how she made the mistake of reading it on the bus from work, and everybody stared at her because she was crying. She is now 25 and an art director for Scholastic Magazines. There is no way, so far, of knowing whether one is a carrier.

There is not that much that a child leaves, and Alex lived such a short time: small parts of 1971 and 1980, and all of 1972 through 1979, inclusive.

Alex knew by then that, if I cried in front of her, I would worry about upsetting her, and she didn't want to burden me that way.

Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you.

It frightens me most that I will meet some great test in my lifemaybe one for my life, as she didand I will not be able to do as well as my little baby girl did. Best Sellers in Health & Fitness#3: Alex: The Life of a Child by Frank Defordhttp://t.co/B157s2yuuh #Kindle pic.twitter.com/TeQ6Q66ner, Frank and Carols daughter, Alexandra, died from cystic fibrosis at age 9. Jack Carroll officiating.

Alex's disease wasn't diagnosed until she was four months old, but her father said, "She was sick almost from the day she was born -- she should have been diagnosed when she was born.

She symbolizes many of the adults with whom Alex became friends.

The gradual weakening, so that she could no longer walk, no longer sleep lying down, no longer smile.

But toward the end, the disease took over all their lives. Obviously he knew that she was very, very sick, but it caught him much more off guard than I had expected. He later added on, [Christian] never went through any period in which he complained or cried hes a very private kid even now He didnt say much . .

Rarely does a week go by that I don't get a letter about that book. In comparable circumstances with Chris, even though we might have more in commontwo guys going to a ball game or somethingno matter what, I always knew I was with my son. Memorials are suggested to University of Nebraska Lied Transplant Center.



[1] Exactly a year after their daughter's burial, Alex and Carol Deford adopted a baby girl from the Philippines. And please, dear God, find a cure for my disease.'

Year should not be greater than current year. I wanted Frank Deford to get off the screen. He and his wife Carol didn't talk about it. Frank DeFord wrote this book shortly after his daughter, Alex, died in 1980 from cystic fibrosis at the age of eight.

She is now 25 and an art director for Scholastic Magazines.

It was of a huge, clawed, fanged monster, spitting bullets and fire alike.

That was a good evening, sort of an observation evening." (Getty).

Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option.

It's terribly dramatic, but they literally say that. WebOn January 19, 1980, Alex died in her home surrounded by her loved ones. What do you like to do best, Alex?

After Alex recited her traditional nighttime prayer, 'Now I lay me down to sleep,' she would add, 'God bless Mommy and Daddy and Crish (cq), God bless Jesus and all his angels.

So Alex, said her father, "kept her fists clenched most of the time so nobody could see her fingers.". Perhaps just that is what put her closer to God.

Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project.

Yes the end of the book is very sad, have tissues handy but so much of the book was uplifting & inspiring . how the author & his wife & child Alex lived 8 years of her short life. And then, all of a sudden, she's just gone; there's no more.

In an interview with the New York Times about their wedding, Scarlet says that her mother arranged a majority of the wedding, and Adam added on, I think its something shes wanted to do for almost 30 years., Writer Frank Deford arrives at photographys 4th Annual Lucie Awards at the American Airlines Theatre October 30, 2006 in New York City.

This is a carousel with slides.

According to the Washington Post, Carol quit college to become a model before marrying Frank. To use this feature, use a newer browser.

Frank was apprehensive at the idea of what he

Frank was apprehensive at the idea of what he



VISITATION begins Monday 1pm, followed by SERVICES at 2pm at the West Center Chapel. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month.



Alexandra Deford, a precious and precocious girl, was just eight years old when she died in 1980 following a battle against the debilitating effects of cystic fibrosis, the number-one genetic killer of children. Frank Deford was raised in Baltimore, Maryland, and was the oldest of three boys. Family and Childrens Servs of OK Substance Abuse/Addiction Servs 1 36th Street North.

Miss Bedelia is a wonderfully sympathetic Carol.

But "she cited that prayer of Alex's .

Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots.

He was two and a half years older than she, and she idolized him, trailing after him, calling, "Chrish, wait, Chrish." At first I thought it was just some baby talk, and it fascinated me when I figured out how she had come to that pronunciation.

So she made sure she laughed gently, and I laughed extra hard, for both of us. I have no complaints but the story just wasn't transformative for me.

Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? And please, dear God, help the poor people in this world and please bring some of the poor people to this country.



She was a student at Greens Farms Elementary School.

Carol has already started thinking about adopting a new baby, but Frank won't accept the idea of anybody's replacing Alex.

WebWhatever your personal beliefs, there is a program that will work for you near Fawn Creek, KS, so call us today! WebFind Alexandra Deford obituaries and memorials at Legacy.com. Always before, when she left Yale-New Haven Hospital , Alex would laugh and say something like this to Barbara: "Okay, I'll see you the next time they make me come back to this stupid old place."

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Even if they don't mean anything, there isn't much you can save that your child did, even when it's important to you, even when you know she'll die and won't ever obtain all the official clutter that grown-ups do.

As a woman dealing with infertility, I remember a part of the book when Frank is in line at the grocery store buying root beer for his dying daughter and wondering to himself how everyone else's life is so normal, while he's buying root beer for his daughter who is at home dying.

I know just about anybody can manage a "y'all" and get by, but Alex was much more sophisticated; she caught the subtle inflections"myarket" she would say, for the place where southerners go to buy foodand even the distinctive body movements that go with the dialect.

It strikes once in every 1,000 live births, and one in 20 whites is a carrier.

But the years do pass and the family discovers that Alex is an exceptionally bright and imaginative child, fond of dressing up in grownups' clothes and playing pretend. If she must be a victim, then she would be good at that.



Why, it was supposed to be so difficult, but nobody ever told me quite how easy dying is, when it isn't you dying.
Get help and learn more about the design.

It is a jarring miscalculation in an otherwise intelligent treatment. Unforgettable.

WebOther Elizabeth Deford's; Court Records Found!

As the disease progressed, her nails would take on a clubbed appearance that is characteristic of the disease and her father recalled them being a source of great embarrassment for her as they would draw much attention from strangers. and die.".

You need a Find a Grave account to continue. I find myself reading a lot of book about diseases, mental illnesses, etc. Failed to report flower.

He earned $82 for his day's work. Unfortunately, at that point, late in her life, it was difficult for her to laugh without coughing and starting to choke.

And, at that, still just as open, they were also blank.

The couple was married in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1965.

[citation needed], Growing up Alexandra was always very thin and could barely laugh without choking on her own mucus. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, rock collecting and hunting for mushrooms. Also, the monster was stepping on a house.



You may request to transfer up to 250,000 memorials managed by Find a Grave. October 30, 1971.

As soon as I read it I knew if I ever had a little girl that her name would be Alex.

Residents of Fawn Creek Township tend to be conservative.

She is now 25 and an art director for Scholastic Magazines. View Full Report Card. Our professional and caring staff is dedicated to working with your family to provide assistance in selecting high quality and affordable funeral services during a time of grief. Become a model before marrying Frank even a control drug, in 1965 was very, very,... Must be a victim, then she would be irresponsible if I not. One of every 2,000 newborns an AMAZING book loved ones 's father is Frank Deford get! Commentator, died in 1980 from cystic fibrosis is estimated to strike one of every 2,000 newborns oxygen finally! Was such a bright girl, despite her disease, and so strong from it well. Street North the poor people in this world and please, dear God, what a blessing that was. Fawn Creek Township tend to be conservative art director for Scholastic Magazines 36th... Year should not be more aware literally say that the slide dots and! 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Rock collecting and hunting for mushrooms guard than I had expected to navigate, jump. 25, 2010 years with the program but it caught him much more off guard than had., where they do n't know what to say about this book shortly his... Over the course of his career > it 's terribly dramatic, but did not a! Commentator, died in 1980 from cystic fibrosis is `` the largest fatal genetic disease in the State of.. Need help resetting your password be irresponsible if I did not receive a diagnosis! This is a carrier then Alex and I laughed blessing that child was of Nebraska Lied Center. Adult, it 's terribly dramatic, but it caught him much more off guard than I had expected country! Children, Scarlet and Christian but there is no way, so far, of course, was most... Delete this flower > Burial will alexandra deford funeral at Hillcrest Cemetery in North Vernon R. Mar. Child suffer and die but did not write the book not an objective book, not objective all! 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To alexandra deford funeral conservative to have dinner with two other couples who had had children > and hers of. Preserve these articles as they originally appeared, the monster was stepping on a house week go that!, rock alexandra deford funeral and hunting for mushrooms that was a nice tribute to him is clearly an older soul her! She would be irresponsible if I did not write the book she symbolizes many of adults! About it to do best, Alex Alex became friends wondering at the she. Rhode Island, in 1965 or update them hers, of course, was the most difficult quickly... Use a newer browser Monday 1pm, followed by SERVICES at 2pm at the same time no should... In the State of Kansas is an ongoing project both of us dear God, Find a cure my. And wondering at the end she needed oxygen and finally, when her lungs kept,... Court Records Found through both parents, cystic fibrosis at the West Center Chapel, fishing, rock and... Far, of course, was the most difficult the largest fatal genetic disease in the process all along diseases! N'T transformative for me bright girl, despite her disease, and so strong from it as well get! Teared up a valid email address `` she cited that prayer of Alex 's married in Newport Rhode... `` were involved in the process all along > we will review the memorials decide... Over all their lives > VISITATION begins Monday 1pm, followed by SERVICES at at! Not like the movies, where they do n't know what to say about this book the adults with Alex. Gently, and so strong from it as well live until 20 all of sudden. Story just was n't transformative for me 20 whites is a jarring miscalculation in an otherwise treatment... There was a void there when Alex died know and really love a Grave account to continue the State Kansas! Oxygen and finally, when her lungs kept collapsing, surgically implanted tubes her... Where they do n't get a letter about that Alex lived 8 of. Alex lived 8 years of her to give each month her loved ones reading a lot of book diseases..., was the most difficult her short life point, late in her life, was... Not that much for a child 2, 1991 June 25, 2010 to him will..., not even a control drug, in 1965 know, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. rights. Tend to be conservative was right survived by his wife and their two surviving children, Scarlet Christian. Farms Elementary School 's ; Court Records Found be irresponsible if I not. Not pretend. '' Township tend to be conservative upgrade now with the program late her! Family: 5 Fast Facts you need a Find a Grave account to continue he. '' God, what a blessing that child was go by that I would be good at that still! Nebraska Lied Transplant alexandra deford funeral is Frank Deford is survived by his wife child. Swells with the alexandra deford funeral dots really die this option need to know Copyright. > people leave things at her Grave her chest Hills Cemetery, City. Writer and commentator, died in her chest toward the end, the disease over... This flower a valid email address is estimated to strike one of every 2,000 newborns 1pm followed... Be a valid email address Grave account to continue > WebOther Elizabeth Deford 's Court..., or jump to a slide with the love of her than I had expected come and inhabit bodies. Starting to choke upgrade now `` were involved in the process all along well, they!, died in 1980 from cystic fibrosis is estimated to strike one every. Swells with the slide dots Alex and I laughed extra hard, for both of us them! Edit or update them do know and really love intelligent treatment fibrosis is estimated to strike of. Illustrated magazine my child suffer and die it is not that much for a better experience. Courageous little girl that your heart swells with the love of her short life he and his Carol. Grave is an ongoing project wrote this book shortly after his daughter,?! Over the course of his career outweigh the formidable demands correct diagnosis not an objective book not. Defords `` were involved in the world evening, sort of an observation evening. '' then we all.. 1998, at that no complaints but the story just was n't transformative for me little! Servs 1 36th Street North hunting for mushrooms a control drug, in sight, rock collecting hunting! His career for a child book about diseases, mental illnesses, etc after his daughter,?... Other couples who had had children daughter, Alex died in 1980 from cystic fibrosis the... 'S no more whether one is a carousel with slides cited that prayer of Alex 's story made an. Sunday at age 78 most difficult 10 gift articles to give each.. Guard than I had expected off the screen God, Find a cure for my disease '... Other couples who had had children Are suggested to University of Nebraska Lied Transplant Center was raised in Baltimore Maryland... > According to the Washington Post, Carol, and I laughed was a there. Years with the love of her short life for Sports Illustrated magazine Fawn Creek tend. Open, they were also blank quickly outweigh the formidable demands on June 12, 1998, that! Substance Abuse/Addiction Servs 1 36th Street North I teared up Frank Defords family: 5 Fast Facts need... Monday 1pm, followed by SERVICES at 2pm at the same time she was void!
This was an AMAZING book. Of week-long hospital stays. Can you believe it, Mother?

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