Alexis J Duxbury

Alexis Joy Duxbury, 61, Bismarck, died peacefully on September 24, 2016, at CHI St. Alexius Health, Bismarck, after a courageous battle with cancer. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 am Saturday, October 1, 2016, at Parkway Funeral Service, 2330 Tyler Parkway, Bismarck. Followed by a luncheon at Parkway Funeral Service. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at Parkway Funeral Service. Cremation has taken place. Alexis was born in Beaver Dam, WI, on December 30, 1954, the daughter of William John Duxbury, MD and Mitzi (Libke) Duxbury, PhD. After a few years in Washington DC and California, she grew up in Madison, WI. She received her BS in Botany in 1981 at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and was on the Dean’s Honor Roll. She studied in Indonesia as a student and while there developed an appetite for eastern foods. After graduating she worked as a Preserve Design Intern /Botanist for the Nature Conservancy in Minneapolis, MN; Naturalist for the Louis Rollin Head Arboretum and University of Wisconsin Arboretum; Natural Areas Inventory Assistant for Wisconsin DNR; and Field Assistant/Plant Taxonomist for the University of Wisconsin. Alexis moved to North Dakota in 1983 and worked as a Resource Specialist-Biologist/Botanist for the ND Natural Heritage Inventory from 1983 to 1988. In 1988, she was hired as a Conservation Biologist for the ND Game and Fish Department, a position which she held until present. Alexis was an active member of the ND Chapter of the Wildlife Society, the Monday Club, a life member in the Sierra Club, The Nature Conservancy, and many other organizations. She was passionate about empowering women, promoting diversity, and encouraging students in the wildlife society and natural resources field. Alexis had a deep passion for prairies and plants. A devoted botanist, she was one of the leaders of North Dakota (later Great Plains) Natural Science Society. Alexis constantly advocated that conservation should be on an equal level with development. In 2015, she received the prestigious “North Dakota Award” of the North Dakota Chapter of the Wildlife Society. The North Dakota Award is presented to an individual for outstanding contribution to the profession of wildlife management. Alexis was devoted to her community and an active participant. She was committed to finding truths central to the understanding of whatever subject she was exploring. Her determination to see that officials acted responsibly and followed the law was untiring. Her research skills were helpful to many civic groups in Bismarck and to environmentalists and conservation groups with national and regional interests. She loved her family and her best friend and sister, Melanie, her animals-cats and dog, and she loved life. We will miss her zest for life, her sense of humor, positive outlook and passion for the resources she worked so hard to protect. Alexis is survived by her mother, Mitzi Duxbury, PhD, Madison, WI; her sister, Melanie Lynn Duxbury, Houston, TX; her brother, Gerritt Dean Duxbury, Baldwin, WI; her special friends, Judy Maxwell, Darlene DeChandt, and Judy Atkinson; many cousins, colleagues, friends, and special neighbors, Sue and Gary Nather. Alexis was preceded in death by her father, William John Duxbury MD.