Vivian N. Joseph

Vivian was born on November 8th, 1933, to John and Amelia (Attra) Nicholas in Austin, Texas. Her youth was spent in and around downtown Austin, where her father had a shoe repair business on 6th Street. She attended the Palm School and graduated from Austin High School. She was an avid softball player and loved spending time at Barton Springs where she socialized with many young people from the Lebanese American community. She knew Raymond Samuel Joseph through this group, and they began dating prior to his military service. They kept their romance alive through visits and correspondence. When he was overseas, she worked at the Texas Health Department in the chemistry lab working on water and food safety. She accepted his proposal of marriage after he left the military and they married on May 22, 1954, when she was 22 years old.

Vivian was proud of her Lebanese heritage and was very active in the American Lebanon Association. Her strong connection to community and family helped her win a battle against breast cancer in the early ‘70s at a time when treatment consisted of radical surgery and radiation and survival was rare. Her well-deserved victory led her to many years of a great life with her family and friends. She became the matriarch of an extended family - gathering members of the Nicholas, Joseph, and Mecey families for the last several decades into her home.

Vivian is survived by her husband of 68 years, Raymond Samuel Joseph, her daughter, Rae Lynn Joseph Hamauei and husband John Hamauei, her son Raymond S. Joseph, Jr. and his partner Paul Villella, and her grandson Nicholas John Hamauei. She is also survived by her brother Jerry Nicholas and many nieces and nephews. She will be deeply missed by those who were influenced by her sense of fairness, equality, and commitment to authentic relationships.

A visitation for Vivian will be held Thursday, March 16, 2023 from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM at Cook-Walden Funeral Home, 6100 North Lamar Boulevard, Austin, Texas 78752. A rosary service will occur Thursday, March 16, 2023 from 7:00 PM to 7:30 PM, 6100 North Lamar Boulevard, Austin, Texas 78752. A funeral mass will occur Friday, March 17, 2023 at 10:00 AM at St. Ignatius Martyr Catholic Church, 126 W Oltorf St., Austin, Texas 78704.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.cookwaldenfuneralhome.com for the Joseph family.