April 7, 1917 - December 5, 2014
Vivian Mary Woodsworth died peacefully in Gibsons on December 5, 2014. Vivian was born April 7, 1917 in Hanna, Alberta, daughter of Bessie and William Glenn, and raised in Winnipeg. Despite being exceptionally intelligent, the family's financial situation made it impossible for her to attend university. At 17, at the height of the Great Depression and with few career options available, she was accepted into the nursing program at Vancouver General Hospital, which at that time provided free tuition and board for their students. She graduated in 1938 with the Gold Medal in Medicine. She worked for a year in Whitehorse, where she met Ralph Woodsworth, the only doctor at the hospital and the son of well-known socialist and parliamentarian J.S. Woodsworth. Ralph and Vivian married in 1940 and lived in several towns in B.C., where Ralph practiced medicine. In 1951, the family, now completed by the addition of two sons, moved to Vancouver. Vivian and Ralph joined the newly formed Unitarian Church there, and for many years Vivian did the flower arrangements for the Sunday services. She volunteered with the Unitarian Service Committee and several other organizations. In 1973, Ralph retired and they settled in Roberts Creek on the Sunshine Coast. They made many new friends and enjoyed golf, bridge, music, and especially gardening. In later years they moved to Gibsons, where Ralph had spent some happy years as a boy. Vivian served on the board of the Gibsons Library Foundation, taught ESL and weaving, and enjoyed bridge. She was deeply devoted to Ralph, and their long and happy marriage was sustained by her warm, cheerful and caring nature that was recognized by all who knew her. Vivian was predeceased by Ralph in 1999 and her brother Clayton in 2013. She will be missed by her sons Glenn (Joy), Bob (Katherine Kortikow); grandchildren David (Lita), Karen, Alexandra (Foye Hatton), Daniel; and great-grandson Theo. The family is deeply grateful for the care and compassion given by the staff at Christenson Village, where Vivian spent her last few years.
No service by request.