Vivian Spiers Luddington

On September 10, 1950, Vivian Spiers Luddington, a strong-willed green-eyed beauty entered this world. On March 28, 2024, she was called back to her heavenly home after a year-long, hard fought battle with ovarian cancer. She fought on her terms and was valiant, stubborn, and endured to the very end, fighting every step of the way.

This earthly angel was the third of seven children born to Clark LeRoy Spiers and Rhoda Evelyn Allred of Ogden, Utah. She was a lifelong resident of Ogden, spending her youth in Ogden Schools, and graduating from Bonneville High School. She acquired several life-long friends whom she stayed in touch with throughout her life.

Vivian was a quiet woman, observant, and accommodating except when provoked and then her green eyes could really flash, and you would know where you stood and what her stance was. She did not like attention but loved to shine the light on others around her.   She loved homemaking, cooking, canning, sewing, playing board and card games.   She loved drafting up house plans and adapting existing ones.  

Vivian loved her flowers and her yard. She would spend hours hand watering her plants and methodically laying out her plant plans year after year. She had an eye for color coordination and excelled at putting color schemes together for arrangements and décor. She loved arranging silk flowers and was very talented in the arts and crafts area. She was her own worse critic, always finding the flaw no one else could see.

Vivian was a health enthusiast. She loved reading about nutrition and supplements. She loved being active and on the go. She spent many years doing aerobics, stationary biking, bouncing, and dancing around her house.  She was like an energizer bunny. She loved nature and walking outdoors.

One of Vivians favorite things was watching sunsets. But having lived nearly 50 years down in Riverdale, she always dreamed of a house having a sunset view. She loved a good Sunday drive full of conversation that ended with a beautiful sunset and ice cream.

Her nearly 50 years as a Riverdale citizen also built her a network of amazing friends and neighbors, people she cherished and was truly invested in. It was a great community to raise her family and to spend her life in. She loved being a part of Riverdale.

Vivian was an entrepreneur, at nearly 50 years old she decided she wanted to run her own business. She followed that dream and invested 15 years into running her own candy and gift business (Bourbon Street Candy Company/ later Candyland Shoppe) to the delight of many people, especially her grandchildren. Despite the trials of owning her business, she loved her store. She strived to make the store cute and fun and enjoyable for her customers. She gave her business everything she had till there was nothing more to give. To pay the bills, she began working at IRS where she was a tax examiner for 20 years in conjunction with her store. During that time, she listened to over 2000 audio books. She loved historical fiction, Church History, and America History.  She worked until she was 72 years old and finally retired with plans to serve in the temple, travel, work on genealogy, and finally relax and just do her day as she pleased.

Vivian was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and held many callings over her lifetime. Her favorite scriptures were The Doctrine and Covenants because she said they were made for modern day and didn’t have so much war. Vivian loved her Savior. She had a firm and abiding belief in Jesus Christ. Her testimony was strong, and she loved her faith. She strived to be faithful, honest, and true in her dealings with others. She was compassionate and non-judgmental and truly loved other people and strived to be Christlike.  

Vivian was frugal and smart. She would pay a repairman once, watch them, and then do it herself. Swamp coolers, washing and drying machines, furnace and dishwasher machines – she would learn how to fix them all. Neighbors often panicked watching her climb all over the roof working on something or another.

Vivian was a patriot, loved our country, loved our Veterans, and invested emotionally in politics and got quite caught up in the excitement. She enjoyed going to plays and performances and traveling around the state or just window shopping. She had a great smile, easy-going nature, contented with life personality, and she lived her life with style, grace, humility, and simplicity.  

However, Vivians’s world revolved around her children and their offspring. She married Jack Woodbury Luddington in 1969 (later divorced but remained good friends) and proceeded to bring her four greatest treasures into this world: her sons, Brett, Kelly, Jason and her daughter, Lisa. She would tell anyone that being their mother was the reason she was put on Earth. She was a mama bear. She was always her children’s biggest supporter and cheerleader. She encouraged their dreams and ambitions. Stayed up late at night to comfort their fears and spent countless hours on her knees pleading with the Lord for their well-being and protection. She proudly wore her rose colored glasses when thinking about her kids. She just loved them so very much. Her children and grandchildren were her greatest blessing and the thing she cherished most in this world. She did not want to leave them behind.

Vivian is survived by her children, Brett (Noelle) of Kaysville, Kelly (Melanie) of Mantua, and Jason (Tracy) of Mountain View, WY, and Lisa (and her cats) of Riverdale; her 10 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren; four siblings, Darryl (Carolyn) Spiers, Connie (DeWayne) Bright, David (Rita) Spiers, and Wendy Carpenter.

Vivian was preceded in death by her parents; stepfather, Paul Robison; sister, Vickie Reed; brother, Rodney Spiers; her beloved in-laws, Harold and Francis Luddington; and her ex-husband and friend, Jack Luddington.

Funeral services will be held on Thursday, April 4, 2024, at 11 a.m. at Lindquist’s Ogden Mortuary, 3408 Washington Blvd. Friends may visit with family on Wednesday from 6 to 8 p.m. and Thursday from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the mortuary. Interment, Aultorest Memorial Park. Following the graveside services a luncheon will be held at the Riverdale LDS Church, 1056 West 4400 South.

The family wishes a special thanks to the amazing Mary and Bre with Independence Home Health and Hospice. These women truly made a difference in Vivian’s quality of life and the family is forever grateful for the love and service they showed us.

In memory of Vivian please plant a flower, enjoy a sunset, eat some ice-cream, and enjoy a Coke.