Vivienne Riddle

The Vikings believed the Northern Lights lit the sky as a pathway to the heavens. On Saturday, August 31, 2019, Vivienne Louise Riddle, aka Nana, followed the aurora borealis and crossed over the rainbow bridge.

Viv was born in Madison, WI in 1943, the second of five siblings, and raised two children. She worked for the University of Wisconsin-Madison and UW-Lacrosse for nearly 30 years until retirement in 2002..

Viv was an artist, gardener, mother, grandmother, and friend, and damn good at all of it. She loved animals and adopted many of them, even keeping a framed photo of every one of them on her wall. She had a lifelong love of plants and had a VERY green thumb. Vivienne's paintings will be fought over, but she kept drawing, painting and making clay works until the very end.

She is survived by siblings Sandy, Lee, Kathy, and Jim; son John, daughter Carrie and bonus daughter Mari; as well as two grandchildren, Cayne and Corrie, bonus granddaughter Jessie and Eva, three great grandchildren (Leviathan, Osiris and Lilly) and many nieces, and nephews, dear friends and neighbors who were like family.

Viv's family wishes to thank Agrace Hospice Care for their exemplary, supportive end of life care and assistance.

Green burial service at the Farley Center will be private. The family welcomes all to Vivienne Nana Riddle's Celebration of life on Saturday, September 14. An update with details is forthcoming.

The family asks that you do not send a live plants unless you intend to keep it afterwards as she left behind quite a lot of houseplants already. Personal donations to Vivienne's family to help offset expenses would be very appreciated.

"Look up, look down, look all around; you are surrounded with beauty touch, see and breathe in-- that's the real thing. Don't miss out on all that to stare at your phone." -- Viv

Cress Funeral Service
3325 E. Washington Ave.
Madison, WI 53704
608-249-6666