It is with great sorrow that we announce the passing of beloved husband, father, brother, uncle, grandfather, and friend Alexander McGregor Kimball, 71, of Charlotte, NC. Alex passed away peacefully surrounded by his wife and children on Wednesday, March 27, 2024, at Lake Wylie Assisted Living, Lake Wylie, SC, due to complications of advanced dementia.

Alex was born July 31, 1952, in Mineola, NY, to Richard Kimball and Mary Katherine Powers Kimball. The fifth of seven siblings, Alex grew up in Manhasset, NY, and spent his childhood playing various sports including baseball, basketball, and football, riding his bicycle around town, and sneaking into candy stores. He attended St. Mary’s elementary school where he excelled in math and science, and often recounted the time he “beat the calculator” (then a relatively new invention) in doing complex arithmetic in his head.

His early academic success led to a scholarship to the prestigious Regis High School in Manhattan. It was during his high school years that he developed his deep passion for basketball, an affliction that he carried with him his entire life and passed down to his children. He proudly told and retold stories of his finest moments playing in the old Madison Square Garden and Rucker Park in Harlem. Following graduation, Alex took several years to find his calling, and ultimately enrolled in Manhattan College to study civil engineering.

He soon thereafter met his wife while playing recreational softball with friends in Riverside Park on NYC’s Upper West Side. Intrigued by her determination in “the way she ran to first base,” Alex confidently asked out one of the young ladies on his team, only to be turned down. Fortunately, she decided to give him another chance, and the two were wed on a snowy Valentine’s Day in lower Manhattan in 1983.

Following the arrival of their first two children, Alex and his wife moved their family to Long Island where Alex dedicated himself to supporting his children’s academic and extracurricular activities. While working as a civil engineer in New York City, he coached his children in soccer, basketball, baseball, hawked Girl Scout cookies, attended ballet and musical theatre recitals, and served on the school board at their elementary school. He had a deep appreciation for music, and his friends and family delighted in his beautiful singing voice – a treasured gift inherited from his father, shared with his brothers and sisters, and passed down to his offspring.

When their youngest was born, the Kimball family moved to Garden City, NY. Alex worked tirelessly to support his children and the community. For several years he ran the St. Joseph’s CYO basketball league, coaching scores of young aspiring athletes. He could often be seen on the sidelines of GCHS athletic events cheering on the Trojans. His spent his weekends shuttling between countless travel soccer and AAU basketball tournaments, and always volunteered to serve in some capacity, whether as head/assistant coach, scoreboard operator, bookkeeper, or fan extraordinaire.

For 21 years, he worked for a prominent engineering firm in New York City, Hazen & Sawyer, where he managed the design and construction of major water treatment and distribution projects, including the city’s landmark Croton Water Filtration Plant that supplies between 10% and 30% of NYC's drinking water. After 35 years as an engineer, Alex retired and relocated with his wife to Charlotte, NC, in 2017, at which time his mental health began to steeply decline. He was brave and proud and stubborn and loving and humorous right up until the end.

Alex was an avid NY-sports fan, and frequented as many Yankees games as his schedule and checkbook would allow. He witnessed all three of his children graduate from college, traveled to Africa twice, and welcomed four grandchildren during his lifetime. He lived a rich and meaningful life, full of joy and sorrow, triumphs and defeats. He loved and was loved deeply by those who knew him.

He is survived by his wife of 41 years, Mary Jane Price Kimball; daughter Katherine Kimball Thompson (Jefferson) of Washington, DC; sons Benjamin Parker Kimball of Chicago, IL, and Jeffrey James Kimball of Charlotte, NC; sisters Katherine Kimball of Milwaukee, WI, Mary Caroline Sandorff of Lafayette, IN, and Mary Blanid Kimball Fendrick of Aberdeen, NC; brothers Richard Kimball (Janine) of Jacksonville, FL, and Daniel Powers Kimball of Aberdeen, NC; and grandchildren Audrey Elizabeth Kimball, Eleanor Jane Thompson, Keira Paige Kimball, and Clark Kimball Thompson.

Alex was preceded in death by his beloved parents and his adored sister Katherine Elizabeth Kimball.

Plans for a memorial service will be available at a later date.

The Kimball family kindly requests that friends, family members, colleagues, and acquaintances share their fond experiences, memories, and tributes to Alex here so that we may honor his lasting memory and legacy.

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