February 5, 1925 – January 29, 2020
William Vivian was born on February 5, 1925 at Chester-le-Street , County Durham in northeast England. He died January 27, 2020 at the age of 94 years after a short stay in hospital. William left Hexham with his brothers Ronald and Sydney to fight in WW2, where he served in Burma and India. He married Joan Kent in 1950 and brought his family to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada in 1957. He was an electrician by trade and had a long career with Canadian National Railway maintaining diesel locomotives. They established a large social circle in Edmonton with whom they enjoyed competitive ball room dancing ,bowling and house parties. He loved to take family road trips through the mountains to the West Coast, tenting along the way. They also enjoyed escaping winter in the warmer climates of Hawaii, Spain and Australia. He was the primary meal preparer in the family and sang and whistled as he worked in the kitchen. He was predeceased by his parents James and Ethel and his brothers Ronald and Sydney. William will be lovingly remembered by his wife, Joan; his son, Peter and his wife, Shelley; his grandson, Matthew and his wife, Rachel; and nieces, Maureen and Lorna.
