Vivian Grace Shetler Minnick's Obituary
Vivian Grace Shetler Minnick was born on June 17, 1926 in Cleveland Ohio, the 2nd of what were to be the 9 children of Verle E. Shetler and Mildred Hall Shetler. She ended her earthly journey on April 29th, 2023 in Tyler, TX.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 43 years, Lester Minnick, 3 sisters, 4 brothers, other relatives too numerous to mention, and many dear friends.
She is survived by one sister, Fayanne Lambert of Madison, WI, one daughter, Carol Johnson (Gordon) of Tyler, TX, 2 grandchildren, Justin (Karyn) Johnson of League City, TX; Joanna (Charlie) Fetter of Houston, TX, 3 great-grandsons: Luke, Matthew, and Aaron Johnson and 2 great-granddaughters: Hayden and Vivian Fetter. She is also survived by several caring nieces; Joy Jorgenson of Clarkston, MI, Penny Bamberger of Rockford IL, and Lorinda Rote of Durand, IL. She also wanted to mention Anne Bauer and family of Bettendorf, IA who all were so caring through the years.
Vivian and her then family of 5 moved from Ohio to Wisconsin when she was 5 years old. She grew up in Milton Junction and then Janesville, WI, where she graduated from high school in 1944. She spent many of her childhood years in southern Ohio with her maternal grandmother. She fondly recalled her experiences there, where she truly learned to love the country life.
Although she aspired to be a history teacher, that was not where life would take her. She met Lester Minnick in Janesville after his return from WWII and they married in 1946. In 1949 she gave birth to her daughter Carol. She spent some time as a homemaker and then returned to the labor force, working for Sears Roebuck as a catalog sales supervisor until her retirement. She was an active member of Cargill United Methodist Church for over 50 years. She loved travel and coaxed her somewhat reluctant husband into joining her on several tours to the East and West Coasts and even Hawaii. She always referred to Wisconsin as home and it is where she will later be interred, alongside her husband.
After her husband’s death in 1991, she became very active in many pursuits. She joined the Ned Hollister Bird Club, the Rock County Historical Society, and the United Methodist Women. She loved genealogy and was always hoping to be able to join the DAR. She served as a guide/docent at the Lincoln Tallman historical restoration for several years and read history books avidly, especially those about the civil war. She continued to love travel, and her magnum opus was a trip to Germany, Austria and Switzerland in her 60’s. She loved spending time at the Rotary Gardens in Janesville and going on “field trips” sponsored by her bank, usually to the museums in Chicago.
When her daughter and family relocated to Tyler, TX she decided with some encouragement to eventually join them there. She spent nearly a decade living at the Catherine Booth apartments and then, as her health declined, moving to Brookdale Assisted Living. She became a member of Fairwood United Methodist Church in Tyler and continued to attend faithfully until just prior to her death. She loved taking outings to see the spring flowers, the dogwoods, and the roses. Her greatest pleasure these last years, though was seeing and keeping up with her family. Not an occasion passed that she didn’t’ attempt to send a card and small gift. Her strength and zest for life will indeed be missed by those who knew and loved her!
A memorial service will be held on Friday, May 5th at 11:00 a.m. at Fairwood UMC in Tyler. In lieu of floral tributes, memorial donations may be made to The Salvation Army or to Rotary Gardens, Janesville Wisconsin, where a commemorative feature will be created.
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