He was preceded in death by his parents Alexander James McCloskey III and Miriam Barlow Wilson McCloskey, and his sister Victoria Leigh McCloskey Reeves.
He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Ginny; his 3 daughters: Allison Marakovic (husband Nino and children Nikola Alexander and Aliana West), Kerry Berlet (husband Tony and children Brett Alexander and Katiana Sloan), Rory Otto (husband Eric and children Sienna Elizabeth and Alexander Charles); and brother Thomas McCloskey.
Alex graduated from Ridley Park High School in Pennsylvania where he was captain of the football team; Williams College BA in Political Science where he was a member of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity; Wharton School University of Pennsylvania MGA Personnel and Industrial Relations; and Wayne State University Law School JD Cum Laude (night program).
He was a member of the Michigan Bar Association since 1974.
Alex reached the top rung of the corporate ladder as VP – Labor Relations for Lockheed Martin, where he worked for 18 years. He developed and implemented labor relations plans and strategies for negotiations with 24 different unions representing 22,000 employees. At Lockheed he also implemented the first policy of nondiscrimination for sexual orientation in 1994, and mentored and promoted a number of women and minority group members. Before Lockheed, he spent over 20 years at Chrysler Corporation (American Motors) in Industrial and Labor Relations where he rose from Shift Personnel Representative to Corporate Industrial Relations Director and Counsel.
His work ethic was unparalleled. At one of his farewell parties a colleague noted that his car was always parked in its spot before anyone arrived, and was always still there after everyone left. They joked that it must have broken down years before. Incidentally, in his 42-year career he only missed two days of work for “illness”, one for temporary hearing loss in his left ear and one to donate bone marrow.
He also saved countless lives. He donated blood over 60 times from 1969 on. He donated his bone marrow in 1994 when it was a much more difficult procedure than it is today. The recipient was a young man from Alaska who has thrived since the transplant.
He had a wonderful dry wit, love of historical books, an expansive knowledge of health supplements, and a dedication to physical exercise and its documentation.
He was a supportive presence at his daughters' sporting events and Ginny's art exhibits, and an unfailing voice of reason for all. He was a generous, positive influence in so many lives and will be dearly missed by all who knew him.
