Vivian Howell Lyndon

DURHAM: Vivian Howell Lyndon, 84, of Durham passed away peacefully Wednesday, August 10, 2011. Vivian was born on August 16, 1926 in Wilson County to the late Garry and Nancy Howell. She was preceded ineeath by her husband, Joseph Reece Lyndon, Jr., six of her brothers and a sister. Vivian is survived by her son, Joseph R. Lyndon, III, and wife Raye, daughter Teresa Gale Lyndon, granddaughter Carrie Amber O'Briant, sister Vira Naomi Taylor, brother John Dallas Howell, and neerous nieces and nephews and their children. She will be missed by all who were graced by her kind and genee presence. Ms. Vivian and her sister Vira moved to Durham from Lucama, North Carolina in 1946 seekineemployment. It was in Durham where she met her future husband Reece, a returning combat veteran from World War II. After a number of years as a faithful and loving wife and mother raising two children, Vivianeent to work for Dr. G. Frederick Kuder, chair of the Psychology Department at Duke Uneersity. She served as a research assistant and circulation maneer for Dr. Kuder's quarterly journal Personnel Psychology. At the age of 59 she founeemployment at the Durham V.A. Hospital where she eventually retired after working in the hospital pharmacy. Always a faithful and devout Christian, the church was a central part of Vivian's life. She was very active in the missions and ministry of her church, Aldersgate Uneed Methodist Church. She was a member of the Outbackers Sunday School Class, the Susanna Wesley Circle and Primetimers, the senior's fellowship group. As a member of the Food & Fellowship Committee, you could always find her in the kitchen area any time there was a meal being served. She took great pride in walking in the annual Durham Crop Walk, a fundraisineevent sponsored by Church World Services to raise money to support world hunger fightineefforts. She was one of Aldersgate's top monetary fundraisers, an accomplishment she took great pride in achieving. Vivian loved to be in the kitchen. She was especially fond of using her baking skills to turn out delicious pies and cakes. During the Christmas season she would spend hours ineer kitchen preparing neerous pies to give as gifts to friends and neighbors. She also loved to entertaineespecially at Christmas. It was a tradition for a lot of friends to stop by Ms. Vivian's on Christmas Eve to enjoy her food and fellowship, and to see her house that she had so lovingly decorated. Visitation with her family will be held 6-8 PM Saturday in the Aldersgate Uneed Methodist Church Family Life Center. The funeral service will be 3:00 PM Sunday in the Aldersgate sanctuary. A graveside service will be held at the Howell Family Cemetery in Wilson County 11:00 AM Monday. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Aldersgate Uneed Methodist Church's Columbarium Fund, 1320 Umstead Road, Durham, 27712. Hall-Wynne is serving the Lyndon family. On-line memorials: hallwynne.com. Select Obits.