Alverta Bass Bethea, 96, of Hampton, Virginia, transitioned peacefully to her Heavenly Home on Friday, March 20, 2026. After a prolonged battle with cancer, she now rests in the arms of her loving Savior, free from the limitations of her mortal body.

Alverta was born on July 17, 1929, in Nash County, North Carolina, the second daughter of the late Bruzer Bass and Caressa Wiggins Bass, followed by seven younger siblings. She accepted Christ as her Savior at an early age and was active for many years in Saint John Baptist Church, Red Oak, North Carolina, where she sang in the choir and participated in many church activities. The Bass Family was known for their Christian example and ability to sing, and this resulted in performing sextets, quartets, trios, duets, and solos in various venues. Alverta often sang as she performed household chores, and she maintained her remarkable ability to hit the high notes until recently.

She received her early education in the Nash County school system, and in the nineteen-fifties, moved to Newport News, Virginia. Always industrious and hard-working, she opened a neighborhood grocery store, which she outgrew quicky and moved into a larger one. She worked in various positions over the years. Eager to acquire additional skills, she pursued further education to become a home health aide in her senior years, serving clients on the Peninsula.

In 1956, Alverta and James D. Bethea, Sr., were united in marriage, a union that lasted for 51 years, until the time of his death. Their loving relationship was an example of God’s design for a Christian marriage and one that many could emulate. They were charter members of Calvary Life Church, a predecessor to New Life Church. In recent years she attended Mercy Seat Baptist Church in Hampton, where she taught Bible Studies and Vacation Bible School until her health declined.

Alverta loved Jesus with all of her heart and became a licensed minister in her eighties. She enjoyed nothing more than studying and teaching the Word. Her primary ambition was to minister to others, helping them to reach Christian maturity, which she continued well into her nineties. She will be remembered for her uncompromising faith and willingness to share the Word with anyone who would listen.

Alverta was preceded in death by four sisters, Lucressa Royster, Annie Nottingham, Elsie Noel, and Eloise Cooper; two brothers, Elvige Bass and Curtis Bass. She leaves to cherish her memory, a loving son, Minister James David Bethea, Jr. (Belinda); two grandchildren, Caretta G. Bethea, and Jamaul Bannerman (Martha); three great grandchildren; two sisters, Angie Williams (Rivers) and Eunice Gilchrist; a host of nieces and nephews; “adopted” daughters, Bertha Perry and Shirley Stephenson; and one “adopted” grandson, Justin Hendrick.

Viewing will be held Sunday, March 29, 2026 from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. at Cooke Bros. Funeral Chapel, 1601-27th Street, Newport News, Va. A funeral service will be held 11:00 a.m. Monday March 30, 2026 at New Life Church, 1525 Power Plant Parkway, Hampton,Va. Interment will follow in Hampton Memorial Gardens.