Vivian Elizabeth Whiteley Lee, 77, was born in Victoria, TX, on August 9, 1946, to the late Hope Gonzales Bannister and entered into eternal rest on January 10, 2024. She attended Presbyterian Pan American School in Kingsville where she made many lifetime friends, especially her Roommate, Vicky Caceres Anderson. While at Pan American, she was involved in the Choir and graduated in 1964.
Vivian later moved with her daughters to Port O’Connor, TX. She worked as a dispatcher in the oil field and later worked at TG&Y as a sales associate and at Walmart in several departments, including the jewelry department and the cash office. She was well known for her excellent skills as a seamstress and made many outfits for her daughters and grandchildren. Her grandchildren looked forward to Christmas every year to see what surprises Meemaw had stitched for them and they could never have too many of her blankets. She was also a great cook and was always asked to make her macaroni and cheese, date nut bars, and banana pudding. Her favorite “job,” however, was being a mother and Meemaw. She was a 2nd mom to many of her daughters’ friends and spent many happy times with her forever friends, Jan Kinsel and Sherry Lambright.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Hope & Edwin Bannister and brother, John Anthony “Tony” Whiteley. She is survived by her daughters, Julie “Happy” Crober of Port Lavaca and her husband, Monroe, Laura “Sunny” Davis of San Antonio and her husband, Carlos, and Nancy Dominguez of Rockport and her husband, Jose, her grandchildren, Lacey Crober Hoover (Dave), Calla Crober Spencer (Devin), Daniel Gonzales (Lauren), Eric Gonzales (Shera), Trey Crober, Alyssa Crober, Camree Crober, Chloe Crober, Domini Davis-Joseph (Alysius), Kerel Davis, Manuel Austin Escobedo, Thomas Allen “Tad” Dominguez (Sandy), Shawn Bego, Nathan Bego, Ryan Mangum (Elizabeth), and John Jefferson “Jay” Mangum (Mary), 16 great grandchildren, and her sister, Mary Catherine (Cathy) Wallace.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, February 17, 2024 at 1 p.m. at Richardson-Colonial Funeral Home in Port Lavaca, TX.
