Alex Zelich

Alex Zelich, 52, passed away on July 14, 2022, with his family at his bedside after a long and courageous battle with cancer. Alex was a loving son, father, husband, and friend who will be greatly missed.

Alex was born in Texas to parents Margarita and Alexander Zelich in 1969. As part of a military family, he lived in Texas, Germany, Kansas, Maryland, and Louisiana. In high school, he excelled in academics and sports. He became a state champion in Texas and Arkansas for karate and earned a full scholarship to LSU for physics. Additionally, he served his country in the US Army National Guard during college.

Alex eventually found his way to NSU in Natchitoches, LA where he was a member of Kappa Alpha Order Fraternity and Blue Key. It was there that he met his wife, Katie. After graduating, they settled in North Carolina and eventually welcomed their son (and the love of their lives), Jack. He made lasting friendships and garnered great respect as a manager at IBM and Kodak. A cancer diagnosis in 2019 proved to be an unexpected challenge but Alex approached the fight with courage and tenacity while maintaining a positive attitude.

Alex was kind, generous, and intelligent. He had a wealth of knowledge and could converse on almost any subject. He had a passion for science and technology. He loved trying new things like scuba diving, skydiving, playing guitar, snow skiing, ziplining, and beekeeping. He enjoyed traveling, hiking, movies, coin collecting, and watching LSU and Saints football. He loved pizza, Korean food, and especially his Mom's cooking. He cherished the time that he spent with his family, friends, and pets, Emmie and Ruby.

Alex is survived by his wife, Katie, and son, Jack; parents Margarita and Alex; sister, Margarita and nephew, Jeremy; Grandmother, Catalina; mother-in-law, Sandra and father-in-law, Kenneth; sisters-in-law, Nancy and Charlotte; Uncles Juan and Jackie; Aunts Marta, Adela, Vera, Zlata, and Lily; many cousins and close friends, including his oldest friend, George.

A special thanks to Dr. Ranjit Joseph for always going the extra mile to provide the best care possible for Alex and to all of the wonderful and caring nurses and office staff at Rex Oncology.

Alex chose to be cremated and will have his ashes scattered during a private gathering with his family. A memorial page will be created in his honor and the link will be sent to family and friends in the near future. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to St. Jude Children's Hospital.