Phillip Russwin Vivian Obituary

Phillip Russwin Vivian attended James Madison High School in San Diego, CA. View the obituary, post a memory, or share a photo about Phillip Russwin Vivian.

Graduation Year	Class of 1969
Date of Passing	Oct 26, 2012
About	Phillip Russwin "Russ" Vivian Ojai, CA business owner, Russ Vivian died in a sudden accident while bicycling on October 26, 2012. He was the beloved husband of Sally Anne O'Dell, recently from Battle Creek. He is also survived by his daughter Chelsea Vivian, his mother Colleen Vivian, sister Deidre Vivian, and his stepsons Alex (Courtney, Avery and Harper) and Matt O'Dell (Mindy Li). Russ was born in Honolulu, Hawaii on June 20, 1951 while his father was stationed at Pearl Harbor. He attended San Diego State University, obtaining a bachelor's degree in history, while spending his summers working as a counselor at Forest Home Christian Conference Center. He attended University of California at Berkeley, earning a master's degree in Ancient Greek and Roman History. Russ taught history at San Diego and Riverside Community Colleges, and later managed the bookstore and retail sales at Forest Home. Changing careers, he served as VP of Human Resources for Captive Plastics, Inc in Hillsborough, NJ. Russ returned to CA in 1996 and took on ownership of Ojai Stitchworks and later Celtic Fashions, where he worked for 16 years. His first wife, Joyce Elaine Campbell died in 2007. He was in the process of retiring when he connected with former high school classmate, Sally Lofgren O'Dell of Battle Creek, MI. Both widowed and graduates of Madison High, Russ and Sally married in January 28, 2011. Russ cherished the last two years with Sally and had a renewed sense of joy in his life. They enjoyed traveling, dancing, hiking, bicycling, and spending time with family. Russ was dearly loved and will be missed by family and friends. He will be remembered for his passion for life, charismatic nature, integrity, and selfless generosity.