Alice Mildred Hook Colley

Alice M. Colley, 96, of Alexandria, Virginia passed away peacefully on Monday, August 26, 2024, at the Goodwin House Small House Health Care Center. She was a devoted wife and mother. Alice was born in Williamstown, Kentucky and grew up on a small, rural farm. She graduated from the nursing school at Berea College in Kentucky (Class of 1949), which is where she met and married her husband, Wilfred Raymond (“Ray”) Colley, who predeceased her in 2011. Alice worked as a nurse at the Berea College hospital, and at hospitals in Roanoke, Virginia and Columbus, Georgia. She and Ray moved to Alexandria in 1955, where she gave birth that year to her first child. Alice and Ray were among the earliest residents of the Waynewood neighborhood in the Mt. Vernon area of Fairfax County, Virginia, where they raised their two sons. She was also the dedicated caretaker for her elderly mother who lived with them. Alice was an active supporter of Ray’s political endeavors, and of her sons’ various engagements and pursuits as they were growing up, attending all manner of meetings, fundraisers, concerts, programs and events. She and Ray enjoyed travel to visit family and interesting locations around the United States, as well as Europe. She was also an avid crossword puzzle devotee. Alice and Ray relocated in 2007 to The Virginian in Fairfax County, and Alice moved to Goodwin House in 2022. Alice is survived by her son Mark and his wife Deborah Harsch, her son David, and her granddaughter Arden. She will be interred alongside Ray at Quantico National Cemetery, Triangle, Virginia. Memorial gifts to Berea College will be appreciated.