Beloved by family and friends, Vivian Marie Ewart Christiansen, 99 years old, passed away June 30 at St John’s Nursing Center, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Vivian was born May 13, 1921, in Chugwater, Wyoming, to Harry and Bertha Massoth Ewart. Vivian grew up on a farm during the Depression Era near Chugwater, where she learned the value of hard work, making sacrifices and, above all else, the importance of family.
She graduated from Chugwater High School in 1939 as the salutatorian. Vivian then attended Grand Island Business College, Grand Island, Nebraska. Upon graduation in 1941 from Grand Island Business College, she worked in Washington, D.C. for several years supporting World War II efforts.
Her love of Wyoming brought her back to Pinedale, Wyoming, where she worked for the Bureau of Land Management. In 1946, Vivian married Jack Christiansen in Lincoln, Nebraska, where Jack attended the University of Nebraska on the GI Bill. They were Kimball residents from 1957 to 1972, at which time they relocated to Brighton, which was her home until 2017.
Shortly after arriving in Brighton, Vivian became the secretary for the Greater Brighton Chamber of Commerce. Business leaders got to know Vivian well as she traveled throughout Brighton in her red Cadillac with her VIVIAN license plate and her red hat. They soon learned she had an infectious smile and an enthusiasm for the community she served.
Vivian and Jack were avid square dancers and traveled the northeastern Colorado and western Nebraska area to dances with close friends. Following her retirement from the chamber of commerce in 1986, Vivian spent a great deal of her time bringing friends together to play bridge and visiting her daughter and granddaughters in San Francisco. She was an active member of St Augustine Catholic Church.
In 2017 Vivian relocated to Fort Lauderdale. Vivian set an example for her grandchildren about life’s most important lessons; strive for excellence, be grateful for each day, take advantage of every opportunity you can to grow and to love unconditionally.
Survivors include her two children; daughter, Monica, of Fort Lauderdale, and her son, Mark of Denver; three grandchildren, Linsi and Julia, of Fort Lauderdale, and Reece of Denver; her sister-in-law, Dorothy Christiansen, of Kimball; and many nieces and nephews.
In addition to her parents, her beloved husband of 60 years, Jack, and her brother James Ewart, preceded her in death.
Private services will be at a later date.