Vivien L. Pehrson, age 85, a longtime resident of Wheaton, went to be with the Lord on Tuesday, July 8, 2025.  She was born June 27, 1940 in Glendale, California to Erroll & Irene Wilson Early. She was married to Bill Pehrson for 62 years, best friends for over 65.

Vivien's father left them after her younger brother Freddy was born, so Irene raised them as a single mother from the time they were 14 months and 3 months. Vivien said that her mother faithfully showed them their heavenly Father. Irene always found loving support to raise Vivien and Freddy from friends at First Brethren Church in Inglewood. Vivien responded in faith to the pastor's message there at age 9, following the Lord in baptism two months later. As Irene struggled to provide for her children, Vivien at age 10 spent 6 months in the Children's Baptist Home orphanage in Inglewood. But Vivien said, "I was never alone."

Vivien graduated from Morningside High School in Inglewood, CA (1958), and she graduated from Biola College in La Mirada, CA (1963) with a degree in Elementary Education and minors in English, Psychology, and Bible. Having completed her training as a Kindergarten teacher, life's most basic and important lessons stayed with her throughout her life as she continued to be a lifelong learner in her pursuit of knowing God, enjoying his creativity, and loving the people that Jesus put in her path along the way. Her face would beam with her love for Jesus, and her eyes would sparkle as she expressed genuine interest in learning about and caring for each life she encountered. Her daily life was punctuated by regular study of God's Word, and prayer for family, friends old and new, missionaries, and government officials by name.

Vivien enjoyed "collecting friends" and never met a stranger. She kept little notes to herself of Bible verses and other sayings that daily informed her outlook on life and how she interacted with her many friends. On her side table: "The Lord has become my fortress and my God, the rock in whom I take refuge" (Ps. 18:2). At the top of her address book: "When I can't reach people whom I love, I hug them with my prayers" (Snoopy). Inside the front cover of her Bible: "The flavor of a teabag only comes out when put in hot water. (re: Enduring through trials)" Inside the back cover of her Bible: "Your heavenly Father is sovereign and will allow nothing to cross your path that is not Father-filtered." When she fully engaged with each person, her love language was asking questions, because she was genuinely interested in knowing and caring. She would take detailed notes that reflected her joy in expressing things just the way that people had expressed themselves. On her wall, a missionary friend's calligraphy: "A friend is someone who understands your past, believes in your future, and accepts you today just the way you are."

When a dear friend had asked her to make a list "About me - Vivien," this is what she included:  "I like people. I love God. I don't like cats. I like order - but not perfection. I like blue. I get tears when others cry. I had no father, but I have a Heavenly Father. I like playing with languages. I like to read; favorites are missionary biographies and history. I read the comics every day. I watch Jeopardy every day. I like music - can't wait for new body to play and sing perfectly. I like to learn new things. Snow is beautiful to me - bring it on. I love the seasons of Illinois. I don't like cleaning - a necessary evil. Chocolate and me go together. I am jealous of the person in the casket. I am God's child. I am a sinner - forgiven. I have gotten used to being a celebrity in my Mini Cooper. I have a friend 'in every port' and One in Heaven. I name the trees in my yard, some of the birds on our deck, and our cars. I have a very long prayer list - good for being at the Throne! I have requested Zippity-Doo-Dah to be sung after my funeral."

Vivien and Bill married on June 7, 1963. They spent their first several years of marriage in Bellingham, Burlington, and Mt. Vernon, Washington, close to Bill's family. As a southern California girl, Vivien immediately loved her experience of all four seasons. She always found much delight in small things in God's creation. She smelled skunks for the first time and asked, "Bill, do you smell that balloon powder? Where are all the balloons?" Vivien taught 1st grade in Burlington. On the first rainy day, she asked, "What's our rainy day schedule?" and the Pacific Northwest principal simply laughed. Always the interested teacher and friend, Vivien followed the progress of all her 1st grade students and wrote to each of them when they graduated from high school. Vivien and Bill attended Emmanuel Baptist Church in Mt. Vernon, making lifelong friends in the young marrieds group there. After their first year of marriage, they moved to Mt. Vernon (1964-65) where they lived with lots of mice in the servants' quarters of a dairy farm. Vivien started substitute teaching in the area schools, and Jonathan and Daniel were both born there.
The family moved to Bill's hometown of Ferndale (1965-68), where Vivien continued to substitute teach. They attended Ferndale First Baptist Church, the church where Bill had grown up, along with all of Bill's grandparents. Bill's mother, Lila, and sister, Rebecca, both loved Vivien dearly. She fit in very quickly in Bill's hometown; everyone loved her, and all the young women looked up to her. She made a close connection with Bill's Grandpa Riley in a nursing home, and she was the only one who could get him to eat. They lived in a house surrounded by dairy farms, and Vivien would ask, "Could you name one of your cows after me?" Several cows were named Vivien after that. The city girl was relating very well to the farmers and this small country community. Vivien rode with Bill and their two small boys on their '67 Honda 90 Trailbike, bouncing around through the fields and Vivien almost falling off the back.

They moved to Penn State at State College, PA (1968-70). Vivien continued to substitute teach, and they attended a small Bible church. As was true wherever Vivien went, she made friends with the neighbors and regularly loved on those around her.

Vivien happily joined in the adventures of family summer vacations, usually backpacking into remote areas, with occasional bear encounters. When bear shadows appeared on the tent, Vivien exclaimed, "Bill, what are you doing?" But it actually was a bear bumping the tent. Vivien loved the outdoors, and God's creation. She loved snow, and enjoyed shoveling the sidewalk, always a little disappointed when a kind neighbor helped by using their snowblower.

In 1970 the family moved to Wheaton, IL where Bill began teaching and coaching at the College of DuPage (COD). Their first year in Illinois they attended First Baptist Church in Downers Grove and enjoyed attending marriage enrichment seminars there. Then they settled at Village Green Baptist Church in Glen Ellyn, closer to home, where they served and raised their three boys for the next 20 years.

Vivien's brother Fred died in the line of duty as a police officer in L.A. in 1973, and Vivien continued to enjoy a special relationship with her four nieces who were between 5 and 12 at the time.

Vivien and Bill led the college and young adults class at Village Green for a few years. Benjamin was born during this time. Many women of Village Green enjoyed digging into God's Word together as Vivien led the women's Bible study there for many years. In the 1990s Vivien and Bill led a Sunday School class at Village Green for ESL students. On special holidays, Vivien always invited people to their home, usually those with nowhere to go, and especially recent immigrants to the country. She regularly answered calls during Billy Graham evangelistic crusades.

In 1981 the family connected with Vivien's father in Florida, shortly before he died. Vivien's mother Irene moved to Wheaton in 1980, and the family would get together often with Grandma Irene. Vivien cared for her mother daily in the last several years of her life until she went to be with the Lord at age 91 (2009).

Vivien was a lifelong student and teacher, and she received an additional 90 college credits from COD, applying her learning to the care of others. Vivien extended her ministries of caring for people in many different ways. She taught ESL at COD. She was a Hospice volunteer. She said, "The subject of death turns many away. This is partly true because we think about life in terms of high living, gusto, get all you can get. Our activities are oriented to 'doing' instead of 'being,' our health care is geared to the 'cure' goal instead of the 'care' goal. As a Christian I want to be available to listen, to care, to give that cup of cold water to someone Jesus loves and cares about in their deep emotional experience, at the end of their life." Vivien was also a CASA volunteer (Court Appointed Special Advocate), advocating for the best interests of children who are involved in the court system due to abuse or neglect.

In 1993 Vivien and Bill became members of College Church in Wheaton. They soon became Stephen Ministers, providing one-to-one care for those experiencing a difficult time in life. They together taught 3-year-old Sunday School. They became mentors for international student ministries for several years, pairing up with Chinese graduate students, and even taking courses in Mandarin at COD to help them develop friendships. Vivien also served with the STARS Disability Ministry at College Church. And together they promoted missions by serving at the Urbana Missions Conference.

Vivien learned piano and accordion when she was a girl and started violin as a mother. She was involved for many years with the Wheaton College Community School of the Arts Suzuki program, and she served on the board of the DuPage Youth Symphony. After taking a college music appreciation course, she would say, "Hearing a familiar song is like meeting an old friend."

Vivien was an avid reader and kept a record of over 600 books she read since she was 41. She was part of different book reading clubs and also discussed special topics and current events at the Great Decisions meetings at Windsor. She was part of the Barnabas Missions Prayer Fellowship group and other mission prayer support teams.

She enjoyed walks in God's creation: "I've walked on every trail in the Arboretum." She became friends with flowers, "Look out there, there's a celandine poppy." What others would call weeds, like dandelions, she would say, "They're beautiful flowers." Her favorite was milkweed pods with the ordered rows of seeds.

Vivien and Bill started writing notes to each other at BIOLA in the fall of 1959, then started using initials for each word, and they could understand one another's code. They kept this up throughout their marriage. They enjoyed aimless meanderings through little towns and back roads, even in Europe. They made friends with other parents attending the boys' soccer games. They attended the Wheaton band concerts together. They watched Jeopardy together even whenever they were apart. They attended the monthly Resident Sing-Alongs at Windsor Park, attended game evenings (Mexican train). Vivien also volunteered as a Windsor Park Resident Council Representative for Ashford Hall. Later in life Vivien became an avid Cubs fan and happily hung the W for every win, sharing that joy with all her boys as she had always done with their sports.

While backpacking in Austria, one day Vivien joined Bill and the group of students to climb seven peaks in one day. Also in Austria, Vivien was inspired to lift others' spirits on the difficult hike by singing after seeing a sign with one of the few odd German expressions she had learned: Erdbeeren mit Slagsauna (strawberries with whip cream), so she got everyone singing "Zippity-Do-Dah," and that was the first time she said, "I want that sung at my funeral."

Vivien is survived by her husband of 62 years, Bill; her children Jonathan Pehrson, Daniel Pehrson & Benjamin (Mandy) Pehrson; her grandchildren: Scott (Agata) Luckey, Kali (Daniel) Mazur & Riley Pehrson; Joe, Noah, Eleanna, Jacob & Jenny Beth Pehrson; and Mariana (Ezequiel) Canela, Nicolas VanDerMolen, Lucas VanDerMolen & Natalie VanDerMolen; her great-grandchildren: Elizabeth, Victoria, Maddox, Leilah & Natasha; her nieces: Barbara Jeniene, Marilyn, Hollie, Michelle, and their mother Cyma; her cousins Frank, Gloria, Charlotte; her half-sisters: Sharon & Elizabeth "Beth" Early. She was preceded in death by her mother, Irene Early, her brother, Fred Early, and her cousin Tony Karas.

A visitation will be held at College Church in Wheaton, 332 E. Seminary, Wheaton, IL 60187, on Monday, July 14, 2025, from 10:00 a.m. until the time of the memorial service at 11:00 a.m., light refreshments to follow. The memorial service will be livestreamed, and also available afterwards. Here is the link for the livestream: Memorial Service for Vivien Pehrson .

Memorial gifts may be directed to College Church Missions , to Samaritan's Purse , or to Windsor Park Benevolent Fund .

Family and friends may sign a guest book at hultgrenfh.com. For more information, please call Hultgren Funeral Home at 630-668-0027 .