Tinna Lingon Alexander

Tinna Lingon Alexander, 96, of Newnan, GA passed away peacefully at her home on May 5, 2026. She was a wonderful mother to her sons, always with unconditional love and support. She was also a wonderful wife, daughter, grandmother, great-grandmother, and a wonderful friend to all who knew her and will be greatly missed. Mom was born on May 4, 1930, in Detroit, Michigan to Greek immigrant parents George John Lingon and Iphigenia Preketes Lingon. Mom was determined to live life to her 96th birthday, and her strong heart allowed her to achieve her final goal. Mom lived for over 10 and a half decades, some of the greatest decades in this country. Growing up in Detroit in the 1930's, the automotive industry was booming. Mom's father had a restaurant with his brothers, called Lingon Brothers that served breakfast and lunch to the autoworkers. But Mom's early life was not easy, growing up during the Great Depression years, then witnessing the horrors of Pearl Harbor and World War II. Soon after, tragedy struck as Mom's father passed away in 1944 when she was just 14 years old. Soon after, her mother moved the family to Ann Arbor, Michigan to be near her mother's four brothers. Mom's uncles owned a successful restaurant in downtown Ann Arbor on State Street called The Sugar Bowl. Mom, her brother, and the Preketes cousins all worked at The Sugar Bowl with fun stories to tell years later. Mom and her younger brother John relied heavily on one another for support. John was a year younger than Mom, but they had a wonderful relationship for years. Mom attended and graduated from Ann Arbor High School at the age of 17. During and after high school, she worked at an insurance company while taking night courses at the University of Michigan. In 1948, Mom's life would soon undergo another major change. A young, good-looking Air Force Captain appeared next door to visit Mom's uncle. Her uncle was also his godfather. That man was Captain James Constantine Alexander, whose parents were also Greek immigrants. He was highly decorated for his time flying B-17s during World War II, with citations including the Distinguished Flying Cross, Purple Heart, and multiple Air Medals, all with citations that read "heroism in combat." Mom and Dad dated (with her brother John tagging along as chaperone) for six months, soon became engaged, and were married in 1949 with a Greek Orthodox wedding service. Most honeymoons are for a week. Their's was 30 days! Dad saved all his military leave for the honeymoon, traveling to Niagara Falls, Montreal, and other areas of Canada. When they returned from their honeymoon, Dad received orders from the Air Force to report to Houston, Texas. The most shocked person was Mom's mother, since she had no idea where Houston, Texas was and couldn't believe her daughter was moving so far away. This was the beginning of what would be life in the military and life as the wife of an Air Force officer. Over the next twenty years, they would move nine times with Dad often telling Mom not to unload the moving boxes since they wouldn't be living there long. Six months later, it was on to Sacramento, CA for six months. Next, it was on to El Paso, Texas where life really changed for Mom. It was the 1950's and the Cold War, and Dad was often away flying. Yet in 1952, they had their first of their three sons, Dean James Alexander, followed by George Mark Alexander, and then Jon Michael Alexander. Three sons in three years! Mom always had a tremendous amount of energy and raised, fed, and changed diapers nonstop. For the next eight years, we lived in El Paso, TX, and Mom was active in the Officers' Wives Club, attending luncheons and learning to play bridge, a passion she continued until 2025. The Air Force transferred Dad's bomber wing to Tucson, Arizona in 1958. Mom adapted quite easily in Tucson, not only with the military wives but also with the local Greek community. Everywhere we moved, Mom developed long-lasting friendships. She was charming, smart, gracious, beautiful, and quite the conversationalist. We lived in Tucson for six years, getting involved in baseball and Cub Scouts. Mom was even a Den Mother. We loved Tucson, but out of nowhere came another Air Force transfer. We left the desert climate of Tucson for the snow of New England and Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Mom outfitted us with new wardrobes of gloves, ski masks, galoshes, heavy coats, ice skates, and sleds. Life was fun, and a big part of it was Mom making it fun for her three sons. She signed her sons up for golf lessons in the summer since there were no swimming pools on the base. Almost daily, she would take her sons to the golf course at 9:00 am and pick them up at 4:00 pm for baseball practice. I later kidded Mom that today, that is called daycare. Mom was committed to helping her sons be involved in activities and schoolwork. After two years in New Hampshire, the Air Force transferred Dad again, this time to Ft. Bragg/Pope Air Force Base, home of the 82nd Airborne and the Green Berets. As always, Mom adapted easily with the military wives and with the local Greek community, relationships that lasted years. But after one year, the Air Force transferred Dad again, this time to South Vietnam. Mom and my brothers moved to the town of Fayetteville, NC. It would be our third move in three years. Mom now had the task of raising her three young sons by herself. But Mom never lost faith, kept the family together, all while driving the boys to baseball and football practices. Mom even took up oil painting and won prizes for her artwork, many of which still hang in her house. Dad returned safely from South Vietnam, but it was moving time again. This time to Hampton, Virginia in 1968. The move would be our seventh move in twelve years. But what kept us together was Mom's will and determination. She was the "glue!" Mom always kept herself trim and young-looking, doing aerobics in the 1960's and 1970's, when people never even knew what aerobics was. She always kept up with fashions and styles. Many girls at school would often tell her son how she looked like Audrey Hepburn. And she did! Mom also liked to travel, particularly overseas. She took trips to Greece, Germany, Australia, Hungary, Normandy, Paris, France, Portugal, Spain, and her favorite - Russia. Mom was a fantastic cook. Her specialties were Greek dishes like leg of lamb, spanakopita, pasticcio, baklava, and koulourakia. Her leg of lamb at Easter was always delicious as were her Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. Mom and Dad retired to Tucson, Arizona in the 1980's because they had many military friends and friends from the local Greek community. They built their dream house in the foothills with every room having a view of the mountains and the city. Mom also renewed her passion for bridge playing, which would last the next forty years. Dad passed away in 1992, but Mom continued to live in Tucson for another ten years. When it was time to move closer to her sons, she moved to Newnan and built another dream house, this time on a golf course. Mom selected a lot on the 18th fairway of Summer Grove Golf Club. She lived there for twenty-two years. While being a military housewife, she moved nine times in twenty years. Yet she was able to settle down and live in dream houses in Tucson and Newnan for the last thirty-nine years of her life. As was always the case, Mom met and developed beautiful relationships with her Summer Grove neighbors as well as bridge-playing groups, book clubs, and the Greek community at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation in Atlanta, especially the Pryles and Alexander families. Mom continued to follow her passion for bridge, both party and contract bridge. She played every Monday in Peachtree City with a wonderful bridge partner, Jannelle Ellis. They played together for nearly twenty years. Mom also had set a high goal of achieving Gold Life Master status, a highly difficult status to attain as you must play in out-of-town tournaments to receive points. She even played in tournaments overseas in countries such as England, Scotland, Portugal, Germany and Spain. At the age of eighty-eight years young, she achieved her goal of Gold Life Master! Mom was also a passionate reader and joined marvelous book clubs in Peachtree City, Newnan, and Fayetteville. The Bookers, as they were called, with Lani, Debbie Mc, Mary Hanna, Janelle Ellis, Elfie, and others met on the third Tuesday of the month and were so inspired by Mom's presence, even at 95. Mom also had a passion for college football. Her favorite team was from Ann Arbor, Michigan - the University of Michigan Wolverines, particularly when they played in "The "Big House." She would often cheer, "Go Blue!" In 2020, COVID was horrible for the world as well as for Mom. It appeared to be the end, but Mom always had a strong will and heart and battled through it. Her sons admired her for her courage often telling her, "Mom - you have a lot of Moxy!" Mom's true legacy in her life was her three sons. She was always proud of their accomplishments and college degrees. Mom was blessed with her three sons: Dean James Alexander (named after James' father), George Mark Alexander (named after Tinna's father), and Jon Michael Alexander (named after Tinna's brother). Mom was also blessed with two grandchildren, Nicholas James Alexander and Dena Nicole Alexander Brown; and a great-grandson, Camden James Alexander. Mom loved people, but more importantly, people loved Mom! Mom had a wonderful life of 96 years. She was preceded in death by her husband, Lt. Col. James C. Alexander; her father, George John Lingon; her mother, Iphigenia Preketes Lingon; and her brother, John George Lingon. The family will receive friends on Tuesday, May 12, 2026 from 5 - 7 pm at McKoon Funeral Home & Crematory, 38 Jackson St., Newnan, GA 30263. The funeral service for Tinna will be on Wednesday, May 13, 2026 at 11:00 am at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation, 2500 Clairmont Rd., Atlanta, GA 30329. The family will receive friends in the narthex during the hour before the service. Mom's final resting place will be with her husband in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia at a later date. Many thanks go to her neighbors in Summer Grove and in Newnan who looked after Mom. Also, thank you to Father Paul of the Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Atlanta for giving Mom communion three days before she passed. Thank you also to the staff of Brightmoor Hospice and to the staff of McKoon Funeral Home & Crematory. Online condolences may be expressed by visiting www.mckoon.com. McKoon Funeral Home & Crematory, 770-253-4580

Tinna Lingon Alexander

May 4, 1930 - May 5, 2026