Vivian C. (Bouchard) Deschenes, age 98 of Salem, passed away peacefully surrounded by family at her home after a brief illness. Vivian was the beloved wife of the late Ronald P. Deschenes with whom she shared 67 years of marriage. A life-long resident of Salem, Vivian was the only child of Edmond and Alice (Caron) Bouchard. She attended Ste. Chretienne Academy and Salem Commercial School before embarking on a short-lived career as a bookkeeper at Naumkeag Trust Company. She and Ron married in 1951 and she became a stay-at-home mom when her children arrived. One of our favorite family stories is hearing how mom planned her wedding in one week so that she could join dad, who was stationed at Fort Hood in Texas.She then had to return home when his orders were changed and he was sent to Germany.
In 1965, dad purchased his own “mom and pop” store, “Ronnie’s Variety” where Vivian manned the counter alongside him. She was lovingly known as Mrs. Ronnie by all the neighborhood children. She was known to dress in costume every Halloween as she dispensed candy. During the blizzard of 1978, she delivered milk to a mother with a newborn to ensure that they had what they needed. She had a kind and loving heart and was always there to lend a hand where needed.
In her younger years, Vivian was an active member of St. Joseph’s Parish and later St. James Parish. She loved helping out at the Christmas fairs where she worked in the kitchen and helped serve the food.When she and Ron closed the store and retired, they volunteered at CCD for several years. They were among the honorees at the inaugural gala for St. Joseph School in 2000 for their years of service. Mom and dad were faith-filled people and attended Mass as long as physically possible. In later years, she was a fervent viewer of Catholic TV. Mom loved watching her soaps to her last day. She loved doing word search puzzles, watching television and listening to classical music. Above everything else, she was a devoted wife, and much loved mother, mother-in-law, grandmother (memere), and great-grandmother. She was happiest when surrounded by her family as she was on her 98th birthday last summer. And a holiday was not complete without her brownies.
Vivian is survived by her daughter, Gisele of Salem and her four sons: Ronald and Kathleen of Westford, Roger and Marielle of Salem, Andre and Debora of Peabody and Marc of Salem. She also leaves her four grandchildren: David of Salem, Andre andhis wife Shauna, Daniel, Christine & fiancé Oliver, all of Peabody. She was thrilled at the birth of her great-grandson Evan this year and loved seeing him and hearing him laugh. In addition, she leaves her niece Lynette and nephews Philip and Michael. She outlived most of her family and close friends, but leaves several cousins,close neighbors and friends.
The family would like to thank Home MD and Care Dimensions for their kind and compassionate care during her recent illness. Relatives and friends are invited to her funeral on Wednesday, October 25 at 10 a.m. from the Levesque Funeral Home, 163 Lafayette St., Salem {Route 114/1A} followed by her funeral mass at Ste. Anne’s Church, 292 Jefferson Ave. Salem at 11 a.m. Visiting hours at the Levesque Funeral Home on Tuesday, October 24, from 4 to 7 p.m.
Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to: Saint Vincent de Paul Society, 156 Federal Street, Salem MA 01970 or the charity of your choice. For guestbook and additional information, please visit www.LevesqueFunerals.com.