SHREVEPORT – Alice Leonie Cardinal McRae, 87, of
Shreveport passed away March 8, 2016.
Alice was born on March 5, 1929, in Fitchburg, Mass.
She was preceded in death by her mother, Emeline Aurore Lanthier Cardinal and by her father, Leo
Henry Cardinal.
Those left to cherish her memory are her beloved husband of 63+ years, Colonel Milton William McRae, USAF, Ret. and five children, William Mitchell McRae of Austin, Texas, Jana Elizabeth McRae of Hot Springs, Ark., Lisa Emeline Fulp and husband
Carl of Earlysville, Va., Timothy Scott McRae of Princeton, La. and Derek James McRae of High Point, N.C.; as well as seven grandchildren, April Shine, Fiora McRae, Nichole Politi, David McRae, Jordan McRae, Gavin McRae and Evan McRae; and five
great-grandchildren, Holly, Jacob, Catherine and Jonathan Shine and Joey Politi.
Alice is also survived by her sister- n-law, Gwendolyn McRae of Shreveport, her brother-in-law Ted McRae and his wife Errol of Baton Rouge and their children,
and her sister-in-law Glenda McRae Coburn and husband Venton of Leesville and their children; and her first cousin, Emily Pridgen of Saint Augustine, Fla.
Alice served as a First Lieutenant in the USAF Nursing Corps from 1952 to 1954. She
was a
graduate of the Burbank Hospital School of Nursing in Fitchburg, Mass., Fitchburg State College
with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education. She also received a Horticulture Degree from the University of Nebraska
Omaha.
Through the years Alice and Milton’s military careers took them around the world to Texas, Greenland, Germany, France, Nebraska, England, Virginia, Viet Nam, Washington D.C., then back to Nebraska before retiring to
Shreveport.
Alice’s quiet presence anchored the family through all the moves. She supported all of our activities and wishes in so many ways. In their retirement she enjoyed time with Milton and spent hours cleaning, storing and preparing
fresh fruits and vegetables he cultivated as well as many hours simply resting with him in the yard and garden under the shade of the towering trees they had planted.
She continued to share her love among the many pets she and Milton
cared for, their dogs and cats helping to fill her heart as the children grew and moved on with their own lives.
Alice was an active member of GENCOM, The Genealogical Computer Society of North Louisiana. She compiled the data on her
husband’s ancestry through tireless research including
many field trips with Milton to cemeteries and courthouses throughout Louisiana and into states as far away as Alabama and Virginia. The result was a beautiful 200-page book, The
McRae Family of Vernon Parish, including photographs and narratives of 300 family members spanning six generations, beginning in 1817.
She also collected and compiled enough photos and data records from her own French Canadian ancestry
to fill 45 linear feet of book shelving. Though she created an outline for a book from this work she was unable to edit and publish it due to theonset of illness.
Alice’s family wishes to extend sincere thanks and appreciation to the Guest
House of Normandie Drive, Shreveport, especially the staff on corridor 8, for their care and kindness during this trying time, as well as to the nurses from Aime Hospice Care who seemed to always
be there just when they were needed. They
were like family to us and we are truly grateful to all of them.
In lieu of flowers those wishing to make a memorial contribution could consider a donation to the Alzheimer’s Association or to the American Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals.