THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, September 13, 1995 TAG: 9509130378
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B6 EDITION: FINAL
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 76 lines
Alice Louise Jordan Purvis Viessmann was born on July 25, 1934, and went to live with God on Sept. 10, 1995.
She was the daughter of Carl Moore Jordan, who built the Jordan Bridge, and Mary Louise Baker Jordan; and she was the granddaughter of the Rev. and Mrs. William Pleasants Jordan of Norfolk, and Mr. and Mrs. Robert Lee Baker of Madewood Plantation, Napoleonville, La.
Alice graduated from Maury High School in 1952. While there, she performed under the direction of Sena B. Wood in Maury's highly regarded Fifth Bell Chorus. In 1954, she earned an associate of arts degree from the Norfolk Division of the College of William and Mary, where she had been a member of the Gamma Gamma Sorority and worked under the direction of Dr. Charles Vogan in the William and Mary Chorus. Subsequently, at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, she studied under the renowned Althea Hunt as a member of the William and Mary Theatre and received a bachelor of arts degree in 1956.
Alice and Ensign Bruce Hanson Purvis, U.S. Navy, were married in June 1957, following his graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy. The wedding was held in Norfolk at the Church of the Ascension, Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia. After Bruce completed flight training, they moved to Milpitas, Calif. Their daughter, Laurel Louise Bruce Purvis, was born in February 1960 and christened at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, Calif. Soon afterward, in March 1960, Bruce was killed in an aircraft accident at sea while flying off the USS Hancock. After Bruce's death, Alice and Laurel returned to reside with the Jordan family in Norfolk. In August 1963, Alice married Lt. Alex Jan Viessmann, U.S. Navy, at the David Adams Chapel, Norfolk Naval Base. Their daughter, Alice Kittredge Viessmann, was born in February 1964.
Almost immediately afterward, they departed for Hawaii, where Alex assumed command of the USS Lipan (ATF-85). When they returned to Norfolk in 1971, Alice joined the Kenneth W. Duncan Realty Co., and in 1973, she was elected to the Half Million Dollar Club by the Norfolk Board of Realtors.
In 1974, Alex received orders to the U.S. Embassy in Bonn, West Germany. The following year, he was transferred to the Headquarters, U.S. European Command in Stuttgart, West Germany, and Alice was immediately asked to assume the position of chairman, Officers' Wives Travel Program. During this period she personally planned, conducted and escorted 35 tours in 24 months throughout Western Europe and the Middle East; and the entire Viessmann family became seasoned travelers, knowledgeable in different languages, and enriched by new experiences and friendships.
Upon returning to Norfolk in 1978, Alice joined the Beach Travel Service and established their first Group Travel Department. In 1983, she formed Great Adventures in Travel Inc. and served as its president until her death. Widely recognized for her expertise regarding Egyptian antiquities, she and her business partner, Gen. Hussein Hossny, Egyptian army (retired), personally conducted 51 guided tours of Egypt and many other countries throughout the world. Their numerous clients included the Society of the Alumni of the College of William and Mary (which returned in June from an elegant tour of Ireland), the Norfolk Collegiate School, the McKendree Methodist Church, the Trinity Methodist Church, the Association for Research and Enlightenment, and nine Roseburg tours. Whether large or small, Great Adventures in Travel tours were always a joyous and memorable experience, as well as a great adventure.
Alice was a member of Saint Andrews Episcopal Church, the Jamestowne Society, the Daughters of the American Revolution, the United Daughters of the Confederacy, and the Chi Omega Fraternity.
She is survived by two daughters, Laurel Louise Bruce Purvis Underwood, Alice Kittredge Viessmann Frome; a sister, Frances Ivy Jordan Anthony; two brothers, Lt. Col. Carl Moore Jordan Jr., U.S. Army (retired), and Capt. Robert Lucius Jordan, U.S. Navy (retired); and several nieces and nephews.
A church service will be conducted Saturday, Sept. 16, at noon, by the Rev. Charles A. Joy at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Norfolk. Interment will follow in Forest Lawn Cemetery. The family will receive friends Friday evening from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at H.D. Oliver Funeral Apartments, Norfolk Chapel. Memorial donations may be made to the American Cancer Society, William and Mary Alumni Association, or to the Chi Omega Fraternity.
KEYWORDS: DEATH OBITUARY by CNB