Vivian (Pederson) Mahon |
| Posted 2014-09-13 by Gayle Nelson |
| Vivian Lucille Mahon, 95, of South Sioux city, passed away Saturday, March 8, 2014, after a short illness. Services will be 1 p.m. Wednesday at St. Paul United Methodist Church in South Sioux city. Visitation will be one hour prior to services Wednesday at the church. Arrangements are with Mohr Funeral Home in South Sioux City. Vivian Pederson was born November 17, 1918, to Peder and Valborg Pederson of Revere, MN. She grew up in Revere during the Great Depression and excelled in school. She received a teaching certificate and taught in a one-room rural school house to earn money to further her education and get a degree. At Winona State College, she was in a work study program to put herself through college. She was valedictorian of her class and garnered top honors, graduating summa cum laude. Her course of studies included the arts, painting and elementary education. Upon graduation she joined the Sioux City School District as a teacher. Through her career she taught all levels from kindergarten through junior high, but her main love was elementary art education. She specialized in this area until her retirement, taking her students to regional and national awards in art with their work featured in numerous publications and calendars. While teaching she met and married Francis Mahon, and had four children, Joan, Jean, Joyce and Edward. Her hobbies included sewing, crossword puzzles, reading, belonging to book clubs, and painting water colors. She was a Brownie leader, a longtime 4-H leader. She was a member of St. Paul United Methodist Church in South Sioux City, where she was a member of Naomi Circle. She took great pride in making greeting cards with her lady friends. Survivors include her children, Jean Mahon, Joyce (Don) Reimer and their children Sam, Adam and Ben, and Ed (Marcia) Mahon and their children Zach and Cole. She was preceded in death by her parents; four siblings, her husband, Francis J. Mahon; and her eldest daughter, Joan F. Mittelsdorf. |