Vivian Earlene Kirkman Beattie, descendent of an Exeter area pioneer
family, and a long-time resident of Tulare County, died on October 16, 2005 in
Fresno at the age of 84 years, after a long illness.
Vivian Beattie was born December 17, 1920 in Modesto, California, the only
child of James E. “Jim” Jordan and Irma Bressler Jordan. Jim Jordan was born in Lindcove in 1897 and
was a well-known cattleman and farmer in the Exeter and Farmersville communities. Irma Bressler Jordan was born in 1896 in Willows,
California, and was raised in the Yokohl Valley.
Vivian was the great-granddaughter of early California pioneers Captain
John Jordan and John Fancher. She was raised on the Jordan Ranch in the Yokohl
Valley. She attended the Yokohl School that was across the road from the Jordan
Ranch, until the family sold the ranch and moved to the Jordan Farm ˝ mile
south of the Outside Creek School. There she attended the same school, Outside
Creek, as her grandmother did in 1868. She
graduated from Visalia High School in 1939 and Visalia Junior College in 1941.
While at Visalia Junior College she met her future husband Mervyn Kirkman.
On October 10, 1941, Vivian Jordan married Mervyn Kirkman, at her
parent’s home south of Farmersville.
Mervyn was employed by the Jordan Brothers Farming Corporation and later
was a partner in the business. He died prematurely in 1966 after 25 years of
marriage. Vivian was a homemaker, bookkeeper, keypunch operator and devoted
wife and mother to her three children Frank Kirkman, Stephan Kirkman and
Stephane Kirkman Posson. She took great pride in the accomplishments of her
children and grandchildren. She will be
remembered for her ready smile and her gift of gab by all who knew her.
On November 13, 1967, Vivian married Chester Beattie, in Las Vegas,
Nevada. Chester passed away 2004 after 36 years of marriage. Vivian had lived
at the Twilight Haven skilled nursing care facility in Fresno, California for
the last two and a half years.
She was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Exeter, the Rebecca
Lodge, life-time member of the Order of the Eastern Star and past Worthy Matron
of Exeter Chapter No. 334, Exeter Memorial Hospital Guild, Exeter Garden Club,
Exeter Union High School Patrons Club, Tulare County Farm Bureau and Past
President of the Outside Creek PTA.
She is survived by her daughter Stephane Posson and her husband Neil
Posson, of Mt. Shasta; two sons, Frank Kirkman and his wife Diane of Clovis,
Stephan and his wife Pam of Bakersfield; five step children, six grandchildren
and seven great-grandchildren.
Vivian’s family would like to extend a blessed thanks to her wonderful Twilight
Haven family that cared for her during illness.
The family requests that memorial contributions be made to the
Salvation Army or Twilight Haven (a non-profit Christian based organization)
1717 S. Winery Ave. Fresno, CA 93727.
Funeral services will be at the Smith Family Chapel, in Exeter,
California, on October 20th 2005 at 10 am.
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