VIVERETTE, Alice Steele, 92, of Richmond, Virginia, passed away at home on November 5, 2019. Born December 6, 1926, Alice grew up on Wilmington Avenue in Richmond’s Ginter Park neighborhood, and graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in 1944. She left Richmond to attend Randolph Macon Woman’s College (Randolph College) where she joined the Kappa Delta Sorority (Theta Chapter), graduating in 1948 with a degree in English Literature. On March 17, 1951 she married Joseph Franklin Viverette, a native of North Carolina and veteran of D-Day. The couple settled in Richmond, eventually moving into the Viverette family home to raise their family. Summers were spent in a cottage on the Rappahannock River. Alice was a lifelong Episcopalian attending St. Thomas, and later, St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, where she was a member of the Altar Guild and St. Margaret’s Circle, whose mission was serving children, youth, and families. Always active in her community, Alice was a member of the Tuckahoe Women’s Club, the Women’s Board (?) of the Richmond Cerebral Palsy Center, and a longtime volunteer for the Shepherd’s Center. She is survived by her husband of 68 years, Joseph Franklin Viverette; daughter Margaret Gibson (Gene); sons Frank Viverette (Dolores), Robert Viverette (Catherine), and William Viverette (Karen); seven grandchildren, Sandi Chesworth (Evan), Matthew Viverette, Maria Thieman (Conn), Allison Viverette, Courtney Viverette, Jake Viverette, and Steele Viverette; one great grandson, Draven Chesworth; and a large number of nieces and nephews who adored their Aunt Alice. The following is from a tribute written by her niece Janet Steele: “As wife, mother, sister, and friend, Aunt Alice moved through life with grace: she was kind, loving, and fun. Coming of age in an era in which nice girls were taught to conceal high intelligence and a wicked sense of humor, hers were cloaked in southern charm that if you were not careful you would miss…Nobody enjoyed life more than Aunt Alice and Uncle Joe, and no couple was ever happier just being together. They were the fun ones, the ones with relaxed summers in the cottage on the Rappahannock, in which you could play all day in the river and at dinner roll your corn directly in the stick of butter…We were lucky to have her and for so long.”
Funeral services will be held on Sunday November 17 at 2:00 at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, 1101 Forest Avenue, Henrico, VA., 23229. The family will receive friends at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday November 16 at Woody Funeral Home, 1771 North Parham Road, Richmond, VA 23229.
The family suggests in lieu of flowers memorial contributions be made to The Shepherd’s Center of Richmond. The website is tscor.org. The address is 3111 Northside Ave., Suite 400, Richmond Va., 23228. Telephone: 804-356-7282.
