Vivian H. (Anderson) Bartholomew was born on a small farm outside of Eskridge, Kansas, in 1928. She was the oldest child of Kenneth H. and Marie O. Anderson. The family soon grew to five girls and one boy. Vivian’s family moved many times when she was a child. In particular, one place she lived with her family was Chloride, Arizona, where her father worked for a dollar a day in the gypsum mines.
The family eventually moved to the Pacific Northwest, where they settled in Springfield, Oregon. Vivian graduated from Springfield High School in 1946, and in 1949, she married Dale E. Bartholomew. Dale worked on his family farm (Sam’s Garden) outside of Springfield. Vivian and Dale had three daughters, Peggy, Estelle and Carol.
Vivian was a longtime member of Ebbert Memorial United Methodist Church in Springfield, where she was very involved with church activities, including many women’s groups. Vivian also worked for many years in a dental office, handling everything from dental hygiene to bookkeeping and office management.
Vivian loved to read and had an extensive library of her precious books. She loved to take walks, have lunch with her sisters, and spend time with her daughters and her grandchildren. She was also an ardent Oregon Duck fan, and often went to the games – especially men’s basketball.
Vivian donated over five gallons of blood to the blood bank and was a reader to children in the SMART program.
In 2017, Vivian moved with her caretaker daughter (Carol) to the Portland area to be near her family. Vivian died on March 10, 2020 from complications of Alzheimer’s.
Vivian is survived by her daughters, Estelle (James) Brunner and Carol Bartholomew; grandchildren, Joshua (Amanda) Schmidt, Grace (Bity) Bitikofer, Justin Forster, Rachelle (Geoff) Nettleton, Jennifer (Jon) Newsham, Kyle (Theresa) Hubbell, Bobbi (Braydon) Schmelzer, Jake (Tia) Hubbell, and, Vivian (Daniel) Eccleston; and 21 great-grandchildren; sister, Cleta Goggins; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Vivian was predeceased by her husband, Dale; daughter, Peggy Schmidt; three of her sisters and her brother.
There will be a memorial service for Vivian when we are all able to gather together once more.
