Obituary for Van Steven Purser

Van Steven Purser, born October 13, 1953, of Roswell, GA, passed away on Thursday, September 19, 2019, due to complications of ALS. Van is preceded in death by: father, Van Wilson Purser, Jr., mother, Peggy Joyce Hegler Purser, and a brother, Roger “Rockin” Purser. He is survived by his wife, Jeanne Purser; son, Van Steven Purser, Jr.; daughter-in-law, Jennifer Purser; sisters, Erica Purser Kitts (Charlie) and Michele Purser Armstrong; brother, Jody Mark Purser; brother-in-law, Tom Jenkins (Ana Marcia); grandchildren, Kelsey Killian-Purser; Kayleigh Killian-Purser; Kinsley, Kaleb and Kourtney Purser; great-grandson, Connor Skeen; and many nieces and nephews. Van grew up in Charlotte, NC, and touched many lives throughout North Georgia and beyond. A graduate of Garinger High School, Van was captain of the football team his senior year.

A self-made man and entrepreneur his whole life, Van started selling doughnuts at age 10, sold books door-to-door during college, and, at the time, became the youngest person in North Carolina to earn his real estate license at age 18. Van has been a full-time real estate professional since 1981, and a Managing Broker of Van Purser and Associates since 2009. In addition to representing hundreds of clients, Van personally purchased, renovated, and sold more than 400 of his own houses. He and Jeanne have been happily married since 1977, working together since 1984. A family man, spiritual counselor, business leader, and cycling advocate, his impact has been broadly and deeply felt. An active member of Perimeter Church since 1997, Van came to his faith and devoted himself to leading discipleship groups for 18 years.

Van took up cycling in 1985 and enjoyed many years of participating in mountain bike races and later owned Bikeways of Tucker. One of the original members of the Webb Bridge Cycling group, Van has enjoyed this community and his impact will be felt for many years to come. Van’s 10-year vision came into existence when he and other members of Webb Bridge Cycling formed Domestique Leadership to train and equip future leaders in the cycling community. Additionally, the Van Purser Foundation was formed by his cycling peers to carry on his legacy to meet the needs of others in the cycling community.