Vivien Martin was born in Leavenworth, Wash., to Maida Witt Martin and William J. Martin. She spent her childhood on the Lone Star Ranch in Ellensburg, Wash., with her twin sister, Janet; brother, George; and half-sister, Virginia. Vivien's family later moved to Wenatchee, Wash., where Vivien attended Wenatchee Valley High School and she and her sister Janet were princesses of the 1943 Wenatchee Valley Apple Blossom Festival. She attended Washington State College, from where her mother, a teacher, graduated and her grandfather, a second generation wheat farmer, was a founding regent. Vivien and Janet moved to Portland in 1948, where Vivien worked as a secretary and fashion model. She married Sigfrid Benson Unander, a public servant, in 1951 and they raised two children. The family lived in Portland; Salem; and Washington, D.C. During her second marriage, Vivien lived in Tokyo, Japan, for two years and traveled in Europe and the Far East. In Japan she studied the Wakai Tea Ceremony. An accomplished artist, she loved painting, sailing, hiking, gardening, French and Japanese culture, and classical music. Reading was another pastime; she enjoyed a good mystery and looked forward to her New Yorker. She loved animals and had a special affection for her beloved cats, Clementine and Maybelline. Vivien was predeceased by her half-sister, Virginia Martin McCutcheon; and elder brother, George.
Published in The Oregonian on August 1, 2010
Vivien Martin was born in Leavenworth, Wash., to Maida Witt Martin and William J. Martin. She spent her childhood on the Lone Star Ranch in Ellensburg, Wash., with her twin sister, Janet; brother, George; and half-sister, Virginia. Vivien's family later moved to Wenatchee, Wash., where Vivien attended Wenatchee Valley High School and she and her sister Janet were princesses of the 1943 Wenatchee Valley Apple Blossom Festival. She attended Washington State College, from where her mother, a teacher, graduated and her grandfather, a second generation wheat farmer, was a founding regent. Vivien and Janet moved to Portland in 1948, where Vivien worked as a secretary and fashion model. She married Sigfrid Benson Unander, a public servant, in 1951 and they raised two children. The family lived in Portland; Salem; and Washington, D.C. During her second marriage, Vivien lived in Tokyo, Japan, for two years and traveled in Europe and the Far East. In Japan she studied the Wakai Tea Ceremony. An accomplished artist, she loved painting, sailing, hiking, gardening, French and Japanese culture, and classical music. Reading was another pastime; she enjoyed a good mystery and looked forward to her New Yorker. She loved animals and had a special affection for her beloved cats, Clementine and Maybelline. Vivien was predeceased by her half-sister, Virginia Martin McCutcheon; and elder brother, George.
Published in The Oregonian on August 1, 2010
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