Alexandra Nora (Phelps) Stoyles, age 74, of Freeport, Florida, passed away at 11:59 pm on Monday, September 4, 2023, due to complications during an emergency open heart surgery.  Alexandra was born on October 19, 1948, to Alexander Gregory Phelps and Karolina Kornelia Phelps in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England.

Alexandra, known as "Sandra" in her youth, grew up in a dual lingual household (speaking both English and German) as her mother was from Austria and her father from Great Britain.  While she lived in England, she spent most of her summers in Austria, visiting relatives, and always felt a strong tie there.  At 13 years of age, she left school to attend secretarial school at Negus Premier College.  She graduated at 18 and went on to work as a secretary for accounting firm, Rhodestringer, Ingham and Claire and later for Colt Ventilation.  During these work years, she became a master of "shorthand" and also took pride in the fact that she won an award for her beautiful handwriting skills.

In 1966, she met Richard Walter Stoyles at the local ballroom called the Mecca.  They loved dancing together and swiftly fell in love and married in 1969.  They moved to Brighouse, England, where their son, Christopher, was born and three years later, their daughter, Georgina.  In 1975, they moved the family to Ilkley, England and lived there until 1986.  During their time there, Alexandra, known as "Alex" in her later years, worked as an auxiliary nurse at Middleton Hospital.  She often worked the night shift, helping the geriatric community there.  In 1986, Alexandra and Richard made a major decision to accept a job (for Alexandra's husband, Richard) in the United States and to move the family to Lagrange, Georgia.  It was a big move.  She spent many happy years there, experiencing a new culture and all its offerings.  In 2012, she welcomed her first grandchildren: Zoey came first and then, later that year, London… followed by Brighton in 2018.  After her husband retired, they decided to make the move down to Freeport, Florida, as living by the beach had always been a dream of theirs.

She was a miracle. In 2014, Alexandra had what was called a "widower's heart attack" and survived! Doctors called her their miracle lady. Following life-saving open heart surgery in 2015, she became a warrior, determined to advocate for her own health, diligently doing everything humanly possible to survive so she could make more memories with her family. She religiously monitored what she ate, checked her blood pressure multiple times a day and never (even until a few days before she passed) went a day without getting in her daily four- mile walk. She did everything she could with such a herculean strength and a will made of iron. She was such an inspiration to her family.

In November of 2022, Alexandra finally decided to become a United States Citizen.  She passed the test with flying colors and realized her dual citizenship dream…being now a citizen of the United Kingdom and the United States.

Alexandra's passion in life was truly her family.  She loved her family fiercely with all her heart. She was the defender of the family, always so caring…worrying about her family's well-being constantly.  She was a loyal and devoted partner to her husband, Richard; a compassionate and supportive mother to her children, Christopher and Georgina; and a gentle, kind, loving grandmother to her grandchildren, Zoey, London and Brighton.  She had a sweet, self-deprecating nature, never fully giving herself enough credit for her accomplishments.  She was a brilliant cook, but never thought so herself.  She was a huge Elvis Presley fan, had quite the collection of Elvis novelties and enjoyed having "Alexa" frequently shuffle his songs.  She loved having a routine and began her day and ended her day the same way: coffee/iPad time in the morning and "flaking out" watching TV time in the evening.  She never asked for much and always tended to enjoy more of the simple pleasures in life…a stroll around a town, a Cappuccino at Starbucks, watching family slides or a browse around Target.  She loved exploring new places, but her favorite memories were wrapped up in all our family trips to Disney World over the last 30 years.  Alexandra has touched so many lives and will be forever missed.

Alexandra was predeceased by her parents, Alexander and Karolina Phelps.

She is survived by her husband, Richard Stoyles; her children, Christopher Stoyles (and daughter in law Amy Stoyles) and Georgina Stoyles (and son in law Steve Cardamone); and grandchildren, Zoey Cardamone, London Stoyles and Brighton Stoyles.

Funeral services will be held at 10:00 AM, Saturday, September 16, 2023, at Point Washington United Methodist Church; 1290 North County Highway 395, Santa Rosa Beach, Florida 32459.

Flowers are being accepted.

You may view funeral services live at https://www.facebook.com/claryglennfh/