Vivian Usher

Vivian Usher, 90, Bismarck, died May 17, 2019, at Sheyenne Crossing, West Fargo, ND.

Services will be held at 1:00 pm Wednesday, May 22, at First Baptist Church, 306 E Divide Ave, Bismarck.

Visitation is from 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm Tuesday, May 21, at Parkway Funeral Service, 2330 Tyler Parkway, Bismarck.

Vivian was born the middle daughter of five girls of Ethel (Hanson) and Nicholas Schmitz on September 28, 1928 in rural southwest North Dakota. She graduated from Leith High School after which she worked for the National Forest Service in Arizona for a season in a fire ranger station. After that adventure, she settled in Bismarck, ND, and worked for Bell Telephone when she agreed, for the purchase of a raffle ticket, to a date with a young man named Oliver Usher. He swept her off her feet, married her May 17, 1952, and they created a family of five daughters, just like Vivian’s family of origin.

Vivian enjoyed gardening, watching birds, mothering, and history, which led to thirty-plus years of volunteering at the historic ND Governor’s Mansion, ND Heritage Center and vacations spent touring museums and historic sites.

She was an active member of First Baptist Church, Bismarck for more than 60 years in Circle, Bible Study, flowers and decorating that followed her everywhere she lived. She enjoyed and supported Camp Bentley.

Her daughter’s favorite memories are coming home from school to the smell of freshly baked bread or cookies, a family favorite being banana chocolate chip from a recipe she found in the newspaper and perfected. Ole was known to have said her home-made bread is what kept their marriage together for 59 years. The truth of that may be debated but her hearth was always a welcoming place for her own daughters, adopted friends and acquired family. Vivian was always open for an adventure from camping in the wilderness, dueling with her husband or hot air ballooning at the age of 85.

Vivian is survived by her five daughters, Lynn Rosenberg (Dan) and Elaine Almblade (Dan), Scottsdale, AZ, Arnetta Peck (Steve), Glenburn, ND, Joanne Jacobs (Mark), Des Moines, IA, and Maxine Torrance (John), West Fargo, ND; 13 grandchildren and three +1 great-grandchildren; her younger sister, Evelyn Eisenbarth; and numerous nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Oliver Usher; and three sisters, Berniece Pagel, Isabel Brenner and Barbra Babel.