Alva Jean Jordan

Alva Jean Jordan passed away on May 24, 2017 in Tempe, Arizona. She was born August 6, 1939 as the second child of Andrew and Nelvina Bergsma of Sibley, Iowa. While being raised in Sibley she attended Sibley Christian School and Western Christian High School from which she graduated in 1957.

Alva Jean moved with her parents to Phoenix, Arizona, in 1960 and continued to live with them in their house while working as a bookkeeper in a piano store.

During the late 1960s Alva Jean became good friends with Harriet (Hoogwerf) Jordan who was boarding with the family while she taught at Phoenix Christian School. This friendship led to Harriet eventually introducing Alva Jean to her husbands' brother Arlyn in 1969 which resulted in the two becoming sisters-in-law in 1971.

Alva Jean and Arlyn initially made their home in Grand Rapids, Michigan, for two years where their first son was born. The family relocated to the Phoenix area in 1973 where their daughter and second son were born.

A lifelong member of the Christian Reformed Church, she was baptized and made her public profession of faith in Sibley CRC, was married in the Sioux Falls CRC, belonged to the Alpine Avenue and Riverside CRC congregations in Grand Rapids, and made the Phoenix CRC her home church since returning to Arizona.

Alva Jean was proceeded in death by her father (1989) and mother (1994), older brother Ralph (died at six weeks of age in 1937), younger unnamed stillborn brother (1950), sister-in-law Carol (Jordan) Patoka (1992), and sister-in-law Harriet (May 7, 2017).

Alva Jean is survived by her husband of forty-six years Arlyn, son Kevin (wife Lynda), daughter Nelda, son Wayne (wife Kristin), Aunt Louise (husband Erv) Smidt, Uncle Alan (wife Norma) Vander Meulen, brother-in-law Norman Jordan, and grandchildren Anna, Jeremy, Jackie, Makaila, Madyson, Andrew, Henry, Anelyse, and Eli.