Vivian Lanfear Bernard, 101, of Saint Cloud Florida, passed away on September 2nd, 2024. Vivian lived a long and remarkable life, she is survived by her daughter, Joy B. Wietor, son-in-law Robert A. Wietor and one grandson, David A Penney. Born Mary Vivian in New Haven CT on February 8th, 1923, the only child of Leslie and Vincent Lanfear. She went by Mary until she started school and then changed to Vivian because there were too many girls called Mary in her class.
Vivian grew up in Pittsburgh PA, and she graduated from Taylor Allderdice High School in 1940. Vivian went to Oberlin College where she studied music education, earning a bachelor’s degree in 1944. Vivian was at Oberlin getting ready to play in Handel’s Messiah when they learned the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. After some discussion it was decided to go on with the performance, but everyone had tears in their eyes. Vivian went on to earn her master's degree in music education at the University of Michigan. As part of her preparation to teach orchestra she had to learn how to play every instrument. From Michigan Vivian went to Maryville College in Maryville Tennessee where she taught piano and orchestra. At Maryville she met the man who would become her husband David E Bernard who taught art history and lead the art department. They were first introduced at a restaurant called Noah’s Ark and Vivian always teased that she first met David in Noah’s Ark. Vivian and David fell in love, probably hiking somewhere in the Smoky Mountains. They were married at Heinz Memorial Chapel in Pittsburgh PA on August 21st, 1948.
Shortly after getting married Vivian and David moved to Iowa where David finished his master's degree in fine arts. They lived in married housing with six other couples, sharing one sink, one bathroom and one six burner stove. Vivian said if they could survive that, they could survive anything marriage could throw at them. And Vivian and David had a long and happy marriage that lasted 58 years until David passed. From Iowa the couple moved to Wichita KS where Vivan continued to teach piano, and David started the printmaking department at Wichita State University. Vivian was a lifelong member of Sigma Alpha Iota International Music Fraternity, WSU Dames and Grace Presbyterian Church in Wichita.
In 1995 Vivian and David moved to Saint Cloud FL to be near their daughter and grandson. Vivian loved to travel with her husband and on their first trip to Europe in 1958 they drove all over Europe in a 2-cylinder Citroen that barely went 40 mph. All through her life Vivian enjoyed traveling with David on numerous trips to Europe, Mexico, where they shared their love of art and history. They also saw every state in the USA including Alaska and Hawaii. Vivian had a zest for life, a great sense of humor and loved the beach, her family, and shared her love of music and life with everyone.
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