Vivian Lee (Allen) Durham
Vivian Lee (Allen) Durham
Cedar Rapids
Vivian Lee (Allen) Durham of Cedar Rapids passed away on Aug. 4, 2023, of natural causes. Born to Eva Lucille (Lorton) Allen and Roy Norman Allen on April 16, 1926, in Warsaw, Ill., Vivian was one of four girls.
She lived her early years in Warsaw. Upon the death of her parents when she was a teenager, she was adopted by her aunt and uncle, Dorothy (Allen) Peterson and Sherman Peterson. They lived in Decatur, Ill.,, Fond du Lac, Wis., and Tacoma-Seattle, Wash., before moving to Dubuque, Iowa.
Vivian graduated from Dubuque Senior High School, then attended the University of Iowa, majoring in music. She was a member of the Chi Omega sorority.
She met Richard H. Durham on a blind date and they were married in Dubuque on Sept. 1, 1948. They lived in Des Moines and Minneapolis before settling in Cedar Rapids.
Vivian took great pleasure in caring for her husband, children, and home. She volunteered at the First Congregational Church and worked for the Cedar Rapids Community School District. She had a great love of dogs, enjoyed ballet, gardening, crafting, playing bridge, Big Band music, and entertaining their friends.
Vivian was preceded in death by her parents, husband, three sisters, sons Jeffrey and Gregg, and granddaughter Rachel Scherrman.
She is survived by her daughter, Polly Durham Scherrman; daughters-in-law, Jeri Durham and Kristen Durham; five grandsons, Trevor Durham, Austin (Jackie) Durham, Thomas (Zarana Shah) Durham, Alan (Shanai Bemis) Durham and Mark Scherrman II (fiancée Caitlin Bush); two granddaughters, Sarah (Kyle) Carpenter and Sally (Bret) Bialozynski; great-granddaughters, Georgia, Regan, Abigail and Grace; and nieces and nephews.
Gracious thanks to the staff at Mercy Hospital Hallmar and the Mercy Hospice House.
A memorial service will be held at the Cedar Memorial Park Chapel of Memories on Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023, 1 p.m. A livestream of the funeral service may be accessed at www.cedarmemorial.com under the obituary for Vivian, under the video tab, starting at 1 p.m. Aug. 19, 2023.
In lieu of flowers, donations would be welcomed to the Cedar Valley Humane Society in Cedar Rapids. They are located at 7411 Mt. Vernon Road SE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52403, 319-362-6288. Please indicate that your donation is in memory of Vivian.
Online condolences may be directed to the family at www.cedarmemorial.com under Obituaries.
