At 90 years old and after 50-plus years, Maudie Alexander still loves working for Parsley’s Roofing

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It’s not often that one employee for a company works through four generations of ownership and is still going strong.

But that’s the case for Maudie Alexander, the bookkeeper at Parsley’s Roofing.

Alexander’s mother came here from Native American territory in Oklahoma on a covered wagon in 1929. As a child, Alexander picked cotton, worked on a farm and stayed active through her entire life.

Alexander turned 90 years old on Monday, Jan. 27 and lives in Lefors, but she grew up around McLean. She graduated as a McLean Tiger in 1948 and worked for the VA office in McLean and got married in 1948 to Johnnie Taylor.

The couple had four children and were married for 22 years before his passing in September 1970 from a heart attack. During this time, Alexander also worked at a malt shop in Lefors during the early 1960s. She also worked at Barney’s Pharmacy on Cuyler before Parsley’s Roofing.

Alexander even has her HAM radio license and learned Morse Code in the 1960s.

She met her second husband, Ralph Alexander, in 1971 and the pair were wed in 1974. They were married 36 years before his passing in 2010. While the two didn’t have any children together, Maudie had two step-sons through the marriage: the late Dale Alexander and Don Alexander.

Alexander is likely most known for her half a century at Parsley’s Roofing, where she started working in September 1968.

“There was a couple of times I was off for a while, once another lady came back from Houston and wanted her job back,” Alexander said. “So they let me go for a short while, but she then transferred back to Houston in a few months and I got to come back. But mainly I’ve been here most of the 51 years.”

Alexander said after Ralph passed away she didn’t want to stay home so she did what she knew to do, keep working.

“It keeps me out and moving,” Alexander said. “I enjoy it and they have been so good to me.”

Randy Parsley, the owner of Parsley’s Roofing, recalled Alexander would pick him up from school. That’s how long Alexander has been a member of the Parsley family.

“Maudie would actually pick me up from school in grade school whenever my mom was out of town at things,” Parsley said. “She’s been a part of my life ever since I can remember. She’s just a wonderful Christian lady who loves the Lord and is very dependable. She comes to work every day with a smile on her face and a good attitude.”

Having been at the business for more than 50 years, Alexander is now working with the fourth generation of Parsleys.

“Lauren, she’s one of the fourth-generation employees,” Alexander said. “It started out with the grandad and the three sons. Then their sons took over. Now the fourth generation is working here.”

Alexander said one of the keys to being happy where you work is just to get along with people.

“Be nice and get along with everyone,” Alexander said. “That was a life-long lesson. I enjoy the work and they are just so good to me. They’ve always treated me like family. They have always been excellent people to work for. Their a good, Christian family.”

Parsley said Alexander’s good attitude is everything to running a smooth office.

“She’s basically the face of the company,” Parsley said. “Everyone knows Maudie when they see her. She’s friendly and everybody just really likes Maudie. She’s been a great asset to our business and our family all of these years. We’ve been very blessed to have her.”

Alexander moved to Lefors in 1951 and has attended First Baptist Church in Lefors since then. All four of her Children grew up/graduated from Lefors.

“It’s just home to me (Gray County),” Alexander said. “I grew up here around McLean and Alanreed. It’s just home. I enjoy meeting the friendly people. Great people live here and it’s a good place to raise your children.”

Alexander’s is the mother to James Taylor, Linda Bruton, Sheila White, Darla Ferguson and the step-mother to Don Alexander and the late Dale Alexander.

She also has 17 grandchildren and 28 great-grandchildren.