Vivienne Frances Stiff

Vivienne was born on January 13th, 1942 to Tom and Josie Solan in Dublin, Ireland, the second of six children. When she was 15, the family moved to Birmingham, England, where Vivienne developed a taste for adventure and a love for Queen Elizabeth II.

After sojourns in Bournemouth and Sweden, she sailed with her dear friend Maureen on the MS Aleksandr Pushkin to start a new life in Canada in 1967 where she made many friends through her work with the Red Cross, before returning to Ireland to care for her family as her mother battled cancer, a fight she sadly lost in 1972. After several years making sure her father and younger brothers were on a sure footing, she flew back across the Atlantic Ocean with her friend Anne Woods to Toronto, embarking on a new career as a conveyancer, through which she met her husband John whom she married in 1977.

They settled on Highcroft Road in Toronto’s Upper Beaches neighbourhood, raising their two sons Emmet and Cameron, hosting many boisterous dinner parties, and running a successful law practice on Coxwell Avenue, thus establishing themselves as fixtures in the neighbourhood for many decades with many friendships amongst their neighbours.

One of Vivienne’s greatest joys was welcoming her daughter-in-law Elizabeth into the family in 2019, and her brief but precious time as grandmother to Louisa, complementing her role as grandmother of Highcroft Road, where she was beloved by the many children she welcomed in for tea, cookies and lessons in good manners.

Vivienne engaged in volunteer work throughout her life, particularly with the Canadian Cancer Society, the community of Corpus Christi Church, and as a member of Parent-Teacher Associations, and was responsible for the acquisition of a playground at Corpus Christi Catholic Elementary School. She was an active member in parish life and had a quiet but unwavering relationship with God.

Vivienne made friends everywhere she went. She was vivacious, elegant, compassionate and endlessly curious about the world and everyone she met, and had a deep abiding love of music and the arts. Her genuine interest in and concern for others was felt by all who had the pleasure of her acquaintance, and she was often found with John on her beloved veranda, enjoying a glass of wine with some good company on a spring, summer or autumn's day. She was known to give a perfect stranger a lift to the subway and often gave to the homeless and less fortunate, values she passed along to her sons and inspired in her community. She had a wonderful sense of humour and was always quick with a smile and a laugh.

She will be dearly missed by her family and the many friends she made throughout her life, including those that she met at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto during her long and courageous battle with atypical meningioma. She is survived by her husband John, her children Emmet (Elizabeth) and Cameron, her sister Maureen and brothers Desmond (Eileen), Vincent, Gerard (Miriam), and Colm (Elaine), and many nieces and nephews. She is predeceased by her parents, her brother-in-law Tom, her sister-in-law Anne, and her granddaughter Louisa. She will live forever in our hearts.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, April 25th at 10am at Corpus Christi Catholic Church, and a celebration of life will be held in late May. Donations in lieu of flowers may be made to the Canadian Cancer Society, the Scott Mission or the Toronto Environmental Alliance.