Alice Toussaint Krantz

Alice Toussaint Krantz, 84, passed away peacefully in her sleep April 16, 2026. Alice was born April 12, 1942, in Charleston, WV to Walter J. Toussaint and Elizabeth Foy Toussaint, the fourth of five children. The Toussaint family home was filled with energy, a devotion to learning and discovery, and a deep Catholic faith, all of which she carried with her throughout her lifetime and which she instilled in both her children and grandchildren.

Alice graduated from Charleston Catholic High School in 1960, where she was a member of the honor society and earned a varsity letter on the tennis team. She matriculated at Seton Hill College in Greensburg, PA, before transferring to West Virginia University in the fall of 1962, where she graduated in 1964 with a B.A. in French and a minor in English. Upon transferring to WVU, Alice pledged Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, was a member of Pi Delta Phi French National Honor Society, swam with Dolphin, the synchronized swimming club, traversed Woodburn Circle for classes, and on a blind date in January 1963, met William A. Krantz.

Bill and Alice began their lifelong journey thereafter, attended the Old South Ball hosted by the Kappa Alpha Order, Kappa date parties, many study dates in the library and at Ruby and Ketchy’s, and of course, Mountaineer football games. Alice accepted Bill’s Kappa Alpha pin and eventually his marriage proposal in April 1964. Bill graduated a year earlier and accepted a job in Morgantown to be with Alice. They were married June 12, 1965, at Blessed Sacrament Church in Charleston, WV. After a honeymoon to Puerto Rico, the happy couple settled into their new home in Fairfax, VA where Alice taught at Thoreau Middle School and Bill worked as a pharmacist at People’s Drug Store.

In the summer of 1966, Alice and Bill moved to Hanau, West Germany, after Bill joined the Army. 1968 brought many events for Alice typical of army life at the time: Bill’s deployment to Vietnam, a move home to stay with her parents in Charleston, the Tet Offensive, antiwar protests at the DNC in Chicago, and the birth of their first child, Gretchen. After Bill came home from Vietnam, Alice and Bill returned to Morgantown, where Bill entered WVU Dental School, Alice became president of the Apollonians, the dental wives’ group, and they welcomed William A. Krantz, Jr. Alice was a devoted mom who volunteered with the Apollonians promoting dental health for local children, taught her children to swim in the community pool, spent countless hours reading Dr. Seuss and PD Eastman books, and took them to the library.

Bill reentered military service after dental school and the Krantzes moved to The Presidio of San Francisco for his residency, which began 30 years of excitement and adventure. Alice and Bill welcomed their third child, Heidi, in San Francisco.

Alice thrived during these years, constantly reinventing herself and finding ways to serve her community with purpose while tending to her three rambunctious and growing children. In Germany, Alice led Gretchen’s brownie troop, cheered Billy’s t-ball team to victory, and dressed both of the girls in German dirndls. She would often take Heidi to go shop on the local German economy in Heilbronn, where she would speak her earnest but American-accented German and attract smiles with her genuine warmth and curiosity. She and Bill were active members of the local German/American friendship club, Kontakt, and they made many German friends with whom they kept in touch with for decades. San Antonio, TX was next for the Krantz Family, and Alice developed a love for country music and “going kickin’,” Texas sheet cake, and continued her volunteerism with her church and her children’s schools. At one point, Alice was tasked with sewing 20 stuffed elephant dolls for the PTA Halloween Carnival and the dining room was taken over for about two weeks. With all of her children in school, Alice rejoined the workforce in Huntsville, AL as a secretary for a Montessori school. Always mindful of her time with her family, the job not only gave her an opportunity to work with children, which was a passion of hers, but to be there for her own children and participate in the band parents and boosters at the high school, teach CCD at her church, and be there to welcome her family home every night at dinner, which frequently included Rice-A-Roni during these years. Subsequent moves brought Alice with her family to Ft. Bragg, NC, Ft. Gordon, GA, and West Point. Alice continued to work with children and pursue her education. She was a school librarian in Fayetteville, NC, taught at Lucy Lainey High School in Augusta, GA, and earned a master’s degree in child and family counseling from Long Island State University and joined the American Counseling Association while at West Point.

Bill assumed command of the U.S. Army Dental Corps in Landstuhl, Germany in 1994, beginning the couple’s final overseas posting. Their almost-empty-nest years began there, with both Heidi and Bill Jr. in school at WVU in the U.S. and Gretchen and her husband, Lt. Michael Evans just a few hours’ drive from them in Schweinfurt, Germany. Alice continued her work with children providing counseling through the Landstuhl Red Cross.

After more than 30 years in the Army, Alice and Bill settled in Williamsburg, VA. Alice was an active member of St. Bede Catholic Church, a founding member of The Julians, a Catholic women’s study group, and served over five years as a child’s advocate in court (CASA). An avid reader, Alice also was a member of a local book club, a member of the local Kappa chapter, and volunteered at FISH, assisting with the clothing and food pantries. She and Bill continued to travel after their retirement; in total Alice visited over 50 countries, including Germany, Italy, France, England, Ireland, Ghana, Hong Kong SAR, Macao, Mexico, Canada, and India.

Alice is survived by her husband, Bill; her children, Gretchen Krantz Evans, Heidi Krantz Boyd (Jay), Bill, Jr. (Allison Tadros); her six grandchildren – Jack and George Evans, Jacob and Lena Boyd, Alex Tadros, and Lauren Krantz; and her brother, William A. Toussaint, and sister, Elizabeth Toussaint Wagner. She is preceded in death by her parents; her sister, Mary Catherine Cleary; her brother, Joseph Toussaint; her son-in-law, Michael P. Evans; and grandchild, Henry Evans.

Visitation will be on Thursday, April 30, 2026, from 6-8 PM at Nelsen Funeral Home, 3785 Strawberry Plains Rd. in Williamsburg. Memorial Mass will be on Friday, May 1, 2026, at St. Bede Parish, 3686 Ironbound Rd., Williamsburg at 12:00 PM. Interment will be at Culpeper National Military Cemetery on May 22, 2026, at 12:00 PM. Memorial donations may be made in Alice’s honor to: FISH, Inc., 312 Second St., Williamsburg, VA 23185.