Obituary of Vivienne E. Spence

Vivienne E. Spence, 92, formerly of Tunkhannock, died Friday, January 9, 2009 at Wesley Village, Pittston, where she had been a resident for four years. Born August 18, 1916 in Twickenham, Middlesex, England, she was the daughter of the late John Lionnel Carlton-Walker and Beatrice (Watts) Carlton-Walker. After graduating from St. Catherine’s Convent School, she moved to London where she was employed by Elizabeth Arden prior to the start of World War II. With the outbreak of the War, she became a decoder for the War Department, and was injured during the blitz. Subsequent to the war she relocated for a time to what was then the Belgian Congo, eventually settling in Durban, South Africa where she worked as an events coordinator in the Public Relations Department of the Royal Dutch Shell Company for twenty years. Mrs. Spence emigrated to America in1974 and became a United States Citizen in 1987. She was an award-winning artist and avid gardener, and was a member of the Tunkhannock United Methodist Church, The Wyoming County Historical Society, and the Tunkhannock Women’s Club. She also served as a volunteer for many years at Tyler Memorial Hospital as a member of the auxiliary. A brother, John Carleton-Walker predeceased her in 2006, and she is survived by a brother, Edgerton Carleton-Walker of Yorkshire, England. Also surviving are four nephews, the Messrs, Stephen, Richard, Barry, and Roy Carleton-Walker, and a niece Miss Kate Carleton-Walker, and several great nieces and nephews, all of England. A memorial service will be held on Friday, January 16th at 1:30 P.M. at the Tunkhannock United Methodist Church. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Wyoming County Historical Society. Interment of her ashes will be at Radnor Gardens, Strawberry Hill, London, England.