Vivian W. Lund

Vivian Lund, age 104, of Gordon, WI, passed away early April 25, 2022. 

Vivian was born in Hawthorne, WI, on December 4, 1917, to Lloyd and Ethel Williams. Vivian was a lifelong lover of education, as she snuck away one day at age four to the nearby Hawthorne School, where she worked to help an older boy learn English because she could also speak Swedish like he did.  The boy, as a thank you, would lift Vivian up to ring the school bell each day, which to a four-year old, was a great thrill.  When Vivian’s mother tried to take her home as she was too young for school, the teacher pleaded that Vivian, her Swedish translator, be allowed to start school early, and her mother agreed.  Throughout her life, Vivian always encouraged others to get an education as “it was something nobody could take away from you.” 

Vivian graduated from UW-Superior with a teaching degree and taught many years in area schools.  After her husband, James, became the counselor at Superior Senior High School, Vivian returned to school and earned a masters degree in guidance counseling so she could, in her words, “counsel the counselor.”  She later worked for many years as an unemployment analyst for the State of Wisconsin, traveling throughout Northern Wisconsin assisting those in times of need.  

Throughout her marriage, Vivian enjoyed many trips to Alaska and the Arctic Circle, fishing with her husband.  The two enjoyed much of their time in life at their home on Whitefish Lake, and were involved in several community organizations; notably, Vivian was a longtime member of the Gordon Presbyterian Church, and for the past 76 years she has been in the American Legion-Auxiliary, Post 499, and was very proud of the sewing she did for veterans.  Vivian was an avid reader, and she published several books; she had a lot of stories to tell, and she told them well.

Lastly, Vivian had a passion for shopping and using as many coupons as humanly possible.  She would often say, “if the shoe fits, buy it in every color,” and her closet proved this saying true.  She never missed an opportunity to wear her beloved fashion finds.  When her favorite stores closed, she switched to paging through L.L. Bean catalogs, shopping for everyone in her family.  

She is preceded in death by her husband, James, and her daughter, Elvera.  She is survived by her daughter Carole and husband Jerry Kroll; son-in-law David Robertson; two grandchildren, Jovin (Breena) Kroll and Carey (Tyler) Carlson; and four great-grandchildren, Kamden, Kyan, and Lindee Kroll and Caroline Carlson. 

Services for Vivian will be held on Friday, April 29th, at the St. Croix Presbyterian Church in Gordon, WI,  with the service starting at noon.  Interment will be at the Gordon Cemetery, with a gathering back at the church to follow.     

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