Monika Eisfeld Alexander
November 30, 1930 — March 8, 2015
Past Services
Celebration of Life
Monika Eisfeld Alexander
MONIKA EISFELD ALEXANDER
LISBON, NH—Monika Eisfeld Alexander, 84 died on Sunday, March 8, 2015 at the Littleton Regional Hospital.
Monika was born in Zarewbrod, Bulgaria, November 30, 1930 to Johannes and Katharina Lautenschläger. Birth parents both died at a young age, Johannes of cancer and Katharina of rabies. Katharina's sister, Felicitas Eisfeld and her husband Adam, lovingly adopted Monika and lived in Oberallmannshousen, Germany. Monika did not speak much of her early years, but one of her favorite stories was her daily trip to school on her donkey. The donkey would drop her off at school and return later in the day to pick her up and return home. She was multi-lingual; speaking Russian, Bulgarian, German, Latin and later learned English by reading newspapers in the United States. Monika, a young woman in her twenties, worked in Baumholder at a large department store, taking the bus to work. On one such trip, Frederick Charles saw her and told his army buddies that he was going to marry that girl. After a short courtship they married on January 4, 1957. Monika immigrated seeing the Statute of Liberty and Ellis Island as a beginning of a new adventure. Monika and Fred (affectionately called Schnook) found their dream home in Lisbon, and spent the next years renovating the house that "Bill Bailey lived in."
Monika worked in the Lisbon Furniture Factory for a number of years. Monika was not one to shy away from work, and as many people have witnessed Monika had massive gardens with both vegetables and flowers. Monika loved her flowers and spent many hours tending the gardens, getting up at the 'crack of dawn,' to weed them. Monika loved to hear the birds waking up, feel the cool air of the early morning and was fulfilled seeing her weed-free gardens. Many Lisbon folks would stop to enjoy them with her. Monika shared the bounty of her labor and would send visitors home with a bouquet of whatever was in bloom or a basket of fresh picked raspberries or produce.
Not to be outdone by her husband's entrepreneurship (Alexander's Body Shop) Monika formed a business partnership with Billie Locke and purchased the Sugar Hill Station Snack Bar on the Lisbon Road in the early seventies. Monika excelled at organizing and managing this snack bar;
her standards were high and her expectations for quality product and service were modeled by herself and demanded of others. Some of the highly valued employees included Mary Rothney, Nora Trombley, Bonny Brooks, Wendy Hastings and her own daughter, Lydia Alexander.
Monika worked hard even in play. Monika was bitten by the antique bug and pursued this hobby with her husband Fred through many miles of back road driving, locating abandoned household dumps and then digging for hours to unearth some trinket of beauty. All treasures had a story and dinnertime would find Fred and Monika speculating on the life of the past inhabitants. Attending auctions by George Clement was the highlight of summer and considered an easy day—no manual labor, learning about antiques and their value. Rocks and gems were another passion; many a weekend found Fred and Monika traveling to Herkimer, NY to try their luck at finding 'Herkimer Diamonds,' or hiking up Moat Mountain in Conway, NH with a 60 pound pack and tools of destruction to uncover a 'pocket of quartz.'
In 1991 Monika was presented with her granddaughter Kira, the diamond of her life. Monika became a United States citizen in 1995 fulfilling a lifelong ambition. She is survived by her husband of 57 years, Fred "Schnook" Alexander; daughter Lydia Alexander and husband Thomas Smith, of Kirby, VT and granddaughter, Kira Alexander of St. Johnsbury, VT.
Monika leaves behind some special friends and joins others.
Monika was a strong, independent woman that saw the wonders in the world around her, proud of her adopted country. She loved her family and enjoyed a glass of red wine especially when soaking her feet in the ocean.
SERVICES -- There will be no calling hours. A celebration of her life will be held in June.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Lisbon Fast Squad, attn.: Dave Combs Lisbon, NH.
Arrangements and care have been entrusted to the Pillsbury Phaneuf Funeral Home and Crematorium. For more information on the June service or to offer an online condolence, story or anecdote please visit our website at www.pillsburyphaneuf.com.
LISBON, NH—Monika Eisfeld Alexander, 84 died on Sunday, March 8, 2015 at the Littleton Regional Hospital.
Monika was born in Zarewbrod, Bulgaria, November 30, 1930 to Johannes and Katharina Lautenschläger. Birth parents both died at a young age, Johannes of cancer and Katharina of rabies. Katharina's sister, Felicitas Eisfeld and her husband Adam, lovingly adopted Monika and lived in Oberallmannshousen, Germany. Monika did not speak much of her early years, but one of her favorite stories was her daily trip to school on her donkey. The donkey would drop her off at school and return later in the day to pick her up and return home. She was multi-lingual; speaking Russian, Bulgarian, German, Latin and later learned English by reading newspapers in the United States. Monika, a young woman in her twenties, worked in Baumholder at a large department store, taking the bus to work. On one such trip, Frederick Charles saw her and told his army buddies that he was going to marry that girl. After a short courtship they married on January 4, 1957. Monika immigrated seeing the Statute of Liberty and Ellis Island as a beginning of a new adventure. Monika and Fred (affectionately called Schnook) found their dream home in Lisbon, and spent the next years renovating the house that "Bill Bailey lived in."
Monika worked in the Lisbon Furniture Factory for a number of years. Monika was not one to shy away from work, and as many people have witnessed Monika had massive gardens with both vegetables and flowers. Monika loved her flowers and spent many hours tending the gardens, getting up at the 'crack of dawn,' to weed them. Monika loved to hear the birds waking up, feel the cool air of the early morning and was fulfilled seeing her weed-free gardens. Many Lisbon folks would stop to enjoy them with her. Monika shared the bounty of her labor and would send visitors home with a bouquet of whatever was in bloom or a basket of fresh picked raspberries or produce.
Not to be outdone by her husband's entrepreneurship (Alexander's Body Shop) Monika formed a business partnership with Billie Locke and purchased the Sugar Hill Station Snack Bar on the Lisbon Road in the early seventies. Monika excelled at organizing and managing this snack bar;
her standards were high and her expectations for quality product and service were modeled by herself and demanded of others. Some of the highly valued employees included Mary Rothney, Nora Trombley, Bonny Brooks, Wendy Hastings and her own daughter, Lydia Alexander.
Monika worked hard even in play. Monika was bitten by the antique bug and pursued this hobby with her husband Fred through many miles of back road driving, locating abandoned household dumps and then digging for hours to unearth some trinket of beauty. All treasures had a story and dinnertime would find Fred and Monika speculating on the life of the past inhabitants. Attending auctions by George Clement was the highlight of summer and considered an easy day—no manual labor, learning about antiques and their value. Rocks and gems were another passion; many a weekend found Fred and Monika traveling to Herkimer, NY to try their luck at finding 'Herkimer Diamonds,' or hiking up Moat Mountain in Conway, NH with a 60 pound pack and tools of destruction to uncover a 'pocket of quartz.'
In 1991 Monika was presented with her granddaughter Kira, the diamond of her life. Monika became a United States citizen in 1995 fulfilling a lifelong ambition. She is survived by her husband of 57 years, Fred "Schnook" Alexander; daughter Lydia Alexander and husband Thomas Smith, of Kirby, VT and granddaughter, Kira Alexander of St. Johnsbury, VT.
Monika leaves behind some special friends and joins others.
Monika was a strong, independent woman that saw the wonders in the world around her, proud of her adopted country. She loved her family and enjoyed a glass of red wine especially when soaking her feet in the ocean.
SERVICES -- There will be no calling hours. A celebration of her life will be held in June.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Lisbon Fast Squad, attn.: Dave Combs Lisbon, NH.
Arrangements and care have been entrusted to the Pillsbury Phaneuf Funeral Home and Crematorium. For more information on the June service or to offer an online condolence, story or anecdote please visit our website at www.pillsburyphaneuf.com.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Monika Eisfeld Alexander, please visit our flower store.
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