Born November 23, 1926 on the family farm near Story City, Iowa. The 9th child (of 12) of Werner Martin Wierson and Sarah Eline (Egemo) Wierson. During the depression, they moved to Ames, Iowa, where her father went to work for Iowa State University.
Vivian graduated from Ames High School in 1944 and became a secretary for the Iowa State Conservation Commission during the war. Most of the men went off to war and she occasionally had to drive the stake-bed truck to deliver trees to farms.
She lived in Denver for a time with her older sister Sylvia Peck, then moved to Kansas City where she lived on the south side of the Country Club Plaza in a ladies' boarding house. She worked as a Secretary for Forslund Pump and Machinery Co. One of the ladies in the boarding house, Rose Marie Banister (later Stanley), had a cousin from Richmond, MO., and introduced Vivian to him. His name was Arnold Clyde Moffitt. Arnold couldn’t buy a car after returning from the Army serving in Germany (WW2) so he rode a Harley Davidson motorcycle. Vivian thought it was dangerous and would not ride on it, so on their first date, they took the street car downtown to a movie, then back to Winstead’s on the Plaza for a hamburger dinner afterwards. This drive-in restaurant is still there!
Arnold and Vivian were married in Ames Iowa on June 27th, 1948 at Bethesda Lutheran Church. They borrowed her two brothers' new 1948 Ford Convertible for a honeymoon trip to northern Minnesota! She said she didn’t get much of a tan up there because it was cool and thought it would be a shame to return to Iowa, then KC, without a tan, so she had Arnold put the convertible top down and she rode a while in her swim suit and got a terrible sun burn!
The couple took up residence in Kansas City, Mo., where Arnold worked for Southwestern Bell Telephone, Riverside Red X, and Koch Refrigeration Company.
In the early years of their marriage, they had 3 sons, Warren, Gregory, & Larry. The family moved to Raytown in 1954.
Vivian, while raising 3 boys, began working part-time as secretary for their church, Blue Ridge Trinity Lutheran, for Pastor Arthur Miller. She was secretary at the church for 6 years, and then went to work as Secretary to the City Collector of Raytown for several years until she retired in the mid 70’s.
Arnold retired in 1987. He and Vivian, as active members of the Telephone Pioneers Family Campers (TPFC), traveled to 49 states in various motor homes they owned over the years. They made many friends around the USA in the TPFC.
Vivian remained active in the Church, serving on the Altar Guild, and later working on the attendance records weekly until she stopped driving a few years ago. She was a very loving Christian friend to everyone, and will be sorely missed.
Vivian was preceded in death by ten siblings; her husband of 61 years, Arnold Moffitt; her daughter-in-law, Linda Moffitt. Vivian is survived by three sons, Warren, Greg (Trudy), and Larry (Trudy); two grandchildren, Ryan Moffitt and Shannon McCanles (Jamie); and two great-grandchildren. She is also survived by a brother, David Wierson, of Ames, Iowa, and numerous nieces and nephews across the country.
The family would like to thank the staff and caregivers of SummitView Terrace, KCMO, and Wilshire at Lakewood, Lee’s Summit, MO., for their love and care given to Vivian. The family suggests memorial contributions to Blue Ridge Trinity Lutheran Church, 5757 Blue Ridge Blvd, Raytown, MO 64133.
We would also like to thank Rev. Dr. Orin Cummings for his many visits and support over the years.
Burial Services will be held privately and a Celebration of her life will be held at a later date.
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