Vivian Jean Eilers was born August 23, 1940, in Healdsburg to Jack and Waunell Elliott. She was an only child. Throughout her life she lived across several areas of the Pacific Northwest between California and Oregon. She set down her retirement anchor in Rio Dell. Vivian passed away peacefully on February 24, 2020, at age 79, after a short battle with cancer.

If you were to ask her family and friends to describe her, some would say she was “Ruff, Tuff, and Hard to Bluff”, or a “Real Straight Shooter”. Vivian is remembered as a person unafraid to speak her mind or get into a little bit of mischief if it meant helping someone in need. During her life she worked several different public service jobs such as a nurse aide, housekeeper and cook, and at one point she and her husband owned and operated a beer and wine tavern in Oregon. She loved gardening and canning, but most importantly, she loved spending quality time with her family.

Vivian is preceded in death by her parents.

Vivian’s fire lives on through her family: Her loving husband, Bruce Eilers, of 55 years and their six children, Jim Eilers and his wife Mary, Sandra O’Donald and her husband Kelly, Jacqueline Chittenden and her husband Jesse, Walter Eilers and his wife Gwen, Charles Eilers and his wife Isabel, and Brian Eilers and his wife Sheila. Vivian adored every single one of her seventeen grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

The family will hold a Celebration of Life at a later date.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Vivian Eilers’ loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.