Alexine Adams, 97, Orange

A life-long resident of Orange, Alexine B. Adams passed away on Sunday, January 7, 2024.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, January 13, 2024, at St. Mary Catholic Church in Orange. Officiating will be Reverend Antony Paulose. Burial will follow at St. Mary Catholic Cemetery.

Visitation will be from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. with a Rosary to follow at 7:00 p.m., Thursday, January 11, 2024, at Claybar Funeral Home in Orange.

Alexine Adams truly lived. Her approval is a reward you can keep. Her friendship was a treasure that lifted your spirit.

Her community of former students spans four decades and often includes multiple generations within families. Her early students, their children, and grandchildren share in her memory and continue her commitment to encouragement, respect, good will, and high expectations.

To the St. Mary’s Catholic Church Parish family that she loved her whole life, take strength through her faith in you. She knew you to be good, compassionate, generous, and wanting to do right.

To the Shangri La Botanical Gardens volunteers, staff, and visitors she enjoyed, thank you for sharing in her retirement. You made her happy.

Her home was a safe haven. We know of many that she quietly assisted along their path and suspect that there are others of which we are not aware. We encourage you to share your stories.

In the early 1940s, she was a proud member of the Stark High Bengal Guards. Years later she was coordinator of the Bengal Guard memorial on West Orange Stark campus and curator of Bengal Guard memorabilia collection donated to the Heritage House.

Her list of accomplishments is longer than your attention span. She never sought the spotlight, but it seemed to chase her. Alexine Adams’ accomplishments include:

High school and college transcripts of all A’s, along with one B, finishing just short of a PhD, taught at Galveston Elementary, Curtis School, Carr Jr. High, and then North Jr. High at beginning of integration in Orange, then at Little Cypress-Mauriceville High School as an English teacher then guidance counselor, inspired by the Bengal Guards, she founded St. Mary’s Belles and the Little Cypress-Mauriceville Honey Bears, recipient of Athena Leadership Award, recognized leadership and talent in other women and nominated multiple candidates for Athena Leadership Award who became recipients, at St. Mary Catholic Church, she served on the Parish Council, Finance Committee, as a lector, and eucharistic minister, a member of the Catholic Daughters, and on St. Mary’s School Board. In 1980, she was a member of the group that wrote the 100-year history of St. Mary’s Church. She played a significant role in establishing the St Mary School Foundation, served as Principal at St. Mary Catholic School, Served as President of for Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops Education Department Accreditation Committee, Served on The Malloy Foundation, she was a beneficiary of Mr. Starks generosity and as a volunteer docent at Shangri-La she loved sharing her personal knowledge of Mr. Stark’s legacy as Orange’s patron and on top of that, she raised three daughters that still love her back. Her three sons love her, too.

Alexine was the daughter of Arthur and Mathilde Boudreaux, born on February 18, 1926. She was the last surviving sibling of five. She was preceded in death by her first husband, Bowman Hughes, her husband of 54 years Richard (Dick) Adams, and her son Quincy Adams. She is survived by her children William (Bill) Adams and wife Gail, Joan Smith and Don Ballinger, Richard Adams Jr, and fiancé Rhonda Fontenot Hohmann, Ann Moon and husband Larry, Amy Simmons and husband Art, and special daughter Kathy Valka. She was blessed by 11 grandchildren, 5 great grandchildren, and 1 great great grandchild.

We encourage you to share your memories of her with each other. It will make our hometown a better place.

Rather than flowers, the family suggest supporting one of Adams’ favorite local charities, such as St. Mary School Foundation or the Southeast Texas Food Bank.