In Memory of Vivian M. Stockwell

Vivian M. Stockwell, age 98, of Odebolt, Iowa, passed away on Saturday, May 5, 2018, at the Odebolt Specialty Care of Odebolt, Iowa.

Graveside Services will be held at 3:00 p.m., Tuesday, May 08, 2018, at the Laurel Hill Cemetery of Neligh, Nebraska. Pastor Trish Underberg will officiate. Visitation will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., with a Prayer Service at 10:00 a.m., Tuesday, May 08, 2018, at the Christensen – Van Houten Funeral Home of Odebolt, Iowa. The Christensen -Van Houten Funeral Home of Odebolt, Iowa is in charge of the funeral arrangements. Condolences may be sent online at www.christensenvanhouten.com

    Vivian M. Stockwell died peacefully on May 5, 2018, at the Odebolt Nursing Home in Odebolt, Iowa. Vivian was the daughter of Herman and Mabel (Clark) Weeder, born at home on December 15, 1919, in Elgin, Nebraska, on the family farm. She attended grade school in a one-room rural schoolhouse and graduated from Neligh High School in 1937.

    After high school, Vivian attended business college in Grand Island, Nebraska, where she met and married Vaughn R. Stockwell. The couple were recruited for civil service and moved to Washington D.C., where Vivian worked as a stenographer in the War Department.  Vivian and Vaughn welcomed their first of three children, daughter Dianne in D.C. in 1943. Later that year, Vaughn was drafted to serve in the Army in WWII and Vivian returned to Nebraska to live with his parents while he was deployed. While there, she worked as a bookkeeper for Anoka Elevator.

    After Vaughn’s discharge in 1946, the family moved back to Washington, D.C., where daughter Carole was born. During these years, Vivian was a homemaker caring for her family. Over the next several years, the family would live in Texarkana, Texas, then Huntsville, Alabama, where their son Kevin was born in 1955. They moved and settled in the Joliet/Wilmington, Illinois area, raising their children there. Vivian worked at First National Bank of Wilmington and served as Vice President of the bank in charge of the Bookkeeping Department. She later worked in the Trust Department of Morris Bank in Morris, Illinois.  As Vivian’s parents aged, she moved back to Nebraska to care for her parents until their passing. She has resided with her son Kevin since he relocated to Odebolt, Iowa.

    Vivian enjoyed gardening and canned much of the fruit of her labors. She also liked sewing and needle work of various kinds. Vivian was a regular member of the Quilting Circle at Faith Lutheran Church of Odebolt for several years and helped provide many quilts for missions. She loved to spend time with her family and was a loving and supportive daughter, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. As a part of the Greatest Generation, she witnessed many changes as technology of all kinds progressed: from Model T’s to hybrid cars with OnStar; from 3-tub wringer washers to stackable, front-loading washers; from manual typewriters to computers; from party-line telephones to cell phones, and many other time-saving and energy-saving devices.

    Vivian was preceded in death by her parents Herman and Mabel; brothers Leonard, Winford, and Herman Jr.; and great-grandchild Cameron. Left to cherish her memory are her children Dianne Ries of Oswego, Illinois, Carole  Stockwell of Joliet, Illinois, and Kevin Stockwell of Odebolt, Iowa; grandchildren Richard Ries, Michelle (Jim) Mattsey, Teresa (Syanord) Carter, Jill Reese, Anna (Jim) LaTour, and Sarah (John) Kelley; great-grandchildren: Ryan Ries, Caleb Aquino, Christian Aquino, Caitlin Mattsey, Ella Carter, Syanord Carter Jr., Melina Pluta, Kira Pluta, Nathan LaTour, Lara LaTour, and Jaden Kelley; several nieces of Colorado, California, and  Arizona; and extended family and friends.