Vivien Addinall
Our Mummy, Vivien.
We have been touched and truly overwhelmed by all the heartfelt messages we have received about our mother, Vivien. She was truly a unique and treasured woman who was loved by everyone who had the honour to know her and spend time with her. She has had an everlasting impact on so many.
Vivien Addinall was born in Brook Centre Mansions in Willesden on 3 May 1942 to Julia Marks and Otto Gustav Wilhelm Katz known as ‘Dick’ (for short). She grew up in 80 Lauderdale Mansions, Maida Vale with her sister Barbara, and often told us stories of what it was like living there, especially about her housekeeper, Kate, who had worked with the family for many, many years including for Mummy’s own grandmother. It was there that she began her love of animals, owning a corgi called Harry.
times spent with the Ray Ellington quartet
With a father who was a professional musician, Mummy developed her love of jazz. She loved talking about her times spent with the Ray Ellington quartet, referring to the band leader as ‘Uncle Ray’ and she kept in touch with his son Lance.
She absolutely adored her Granny, Hetty Marks and often shared memories of their happy times together. She was determined that she wanted to have the same relationship with her grandchildren when the time came. And she certainly did.
During her teenage years, along with her cousin Georgie-Lou she used to visit her Granny when she moved to Bognor Regis, and they had many wonderful times together. Mummy and Georgie-Lou were the very best of friends and had a very special relationship throughout her life. Georgie last stayed with Mummy just a couple of weeks ago and Mummy often went to stay with her in her cottage in Norfolk- weeks away by the sea that she truly cherished.
Mummy attended Essendine School in the 1950s where she met her lifelong friend, Diane who she was delighted to meet up with again very recently. They went through many happy and sad times together and despite living far away from each other, remained firm friends. Whilst at school, they shared many adventures including school trips to Switzerland and Venice where they got up to many schoolgirl pranks. These trips sparked her love of travelling, and although she wasn’t able to travel in her later years, she visited many places which she remembered fondly.
She loved animals of all kinds
After finishing secondary school, she attended Pitman college where she learnt to touch type. Even with very long and beautifully manicured fingernails, she was able to type at great speed. Both Louise and I were inspired and learnt to type using her Pitman books too on a manual typewriter on the kitchen table.
Growing up, Mummy always wanted to be a vet. She loved animals of all kinds; her favourite being the barn owl. She owned budgies and tropical fish and was sadly held back from having furry friends due to our Dad’s animal hair allergy. It didn’t stop her petting every dog she came across while shopping though.
In the 1960s, she moved to America. She travelled by ship and train with her mother to join her sister Barbara and brother-in-law Len. She arrived at the same time that her eldest niece Tanya was born in 1964. She adored Tanya, as she did Edward and Elizabeth, her other niece and nephew whom she was a great friend and support to throughout her life. Tanya told me that my mother helped her to set up her email address and when Tanya was young Mummy and Auntie Barbara used to joke that Tanya was really Mummy’s daughter. Tanya believed her. They looked so much alike that I did too.
worked in advertising, wrote copy and performed voiceovers for radio commercials
In America, Mummy worked in advertising, wrote copy and performed voiceovers for radio commercials. They loved her polished English accent, and she thoroughly enjoyed this role and excelled at it.
During those years, she continued her love of music and became friends with The Four Freshman, a singing group who were the inspiration behind The Beach Boys.
It was in America that she discovered her love and talent for photography, a hobby which she enjoyed throughout her life. She took many fantastic photographs of her family, birds in her garden, animals at the zoo and anything else which she found beautiful.
Later she got married and I was born in Emporia, Kansas in August 1966, and in September 1970 Mummy and I returned to England. We were invited to live with Georgie-Lou’s parents, Auntie Bobbles and Uncle George, whom she loved like a father, in their flat which was on the ninth floor of a tower block in Hayes. Louise and I always remember it as being very ‘windy’ whenever we visited.
In 1972, Mummy married our wonderful Daddy, Barry on 28 April, within three months of meeting on a cab rank in Maida Vale. He immediately adopted me as his own and our family was completed with the arrival of my sister, Louise, in October 1974 when we lived in Pinner Green.
She loved to visit the garden centre and choose plants
In 1976, we moved to Hatch End where she stayed until we lost our Daddy in 2012. She then joined Louise and I in Bushey. The house was always immaculate and the garden the same. She loved to visit the garden centre and choose plants to display inside and outside her home.
We remember the creative ways we celebrated our birthdays including a canal barge trip up Little Venice where she made each of my friends packed lunches in white cardboard boxes, and they always contained chicken drumsticks in breadcrumbs.
We were so in awe when she told us that she had swum the English Channel. Both Louise and I told absolutely everyone about it and they in turn were very impressed. Only recently, when we asked her for more information about this swim, did she exclaim, “Swim the channel? No. I must have made that up!”.
We always remember the volunteering Mummy carried out throughout her life. From putting together the shul magazine each month, to visiting residents of the local care home for the blind. She taught and encouraged them to knit squares which she skilfully turned into blankets and were donated to those in need.
went to college to train and qualify as a professional manicurist
When Louise was at primary school, Mummy went to college to train and qualify as a professional manicurist. This was a job which she absolutely loved, working both in hairdressers and in our own home. Just this past week, everyone was commenting on her beautifully painted electric pink nails. I have no idea how she did anything with those nails.
Later, Mummy worked for The AA (Automobile Association) in Stanmore answering breakdown calls. As part of the job, she had to use paper maps which she carried around in a briefcase. One day, she was chatting with staff in the AA shop below the breakdown centre and by mistake left the briefcase behind when she returned to work upstairs. Unfortunately, this led to a bomb threat alert and the police were called to dispose of the ‘suspicious package.’ Mummy was always proud that the AA provided her with a pension which topped up her state pension.
In the 1990s, Mummy worked with Louise and I at another company called BEM where she made life-long friends. During this time, she also regularly visited her own mother, running errands and being a support to her. She was a very good daughter-in-law to our Grandma’s second husband, David and to Daddy’s mother Edith.
incredibly creative
Mummy didn’t know it but she was the creator of memories.
Who hasn’t had a biscuit from the Tupperware biscuit barrel? Even Lisa, Louise’s best friend, and my best friend, Jacquie, remember reaching up to the top cupboard of the kitchen in Hatch End.
Her wonderful and inspired cooking, especially her chicken soup, a recipe which she perfected and passed on to me, baked potatoes and rice which Daddy used to relish and say, “That was delicious. In fact, I would like to go so far as to say, splendid!”
The tubes of sweets that she used to buy for each member of the family, which we all used to shake in order to guess what was inside the wrapped tubes. Presents were always purchased at least a year, if not more, in advance.
Although Mummy said she couldn’t draw, she was incredibly creative. She always had one craft or another on the go, from rhinestone encrusted jumpers to denim jeans pencil cases, from hand-knitting to machine-knitting and crochet, and from tapestries to counted cross-stitch.
She loved playing Kalooki and of course her beloved Bingo where she made a bounty of friends who always looked forward to spending time with her.
Selling on eBay and at car boot sales were her guilty pleasures and I know she enjoyed all those Sunday jaunts with Cousin Hayley.
Mummy’s life changed when she became a grandmother herself. Charlotte, Daniel, Gabrielle and Benjamin were her absolute world and brought her great joy and she spoke to anyone and everyone about them endlessly, sharing photos and stories with pride. That was until she became a great-grandmother to Olivia, Alexander, Jayden and Louis. Now neither her children nor grandchildren got a look-in.
All eight of them have been recipients of an abundance of beautiful hand-knitted cardigans and jumpers. I’m sorry to have to inform you that Mavis, the wool shop in Bushey, will sadly now be forced to close since they have lost their best customer.
often surprising herself and others with her resilience.
She has taught us all so much. Her generosity and selfless sharing of her time. Her willingness to keep going during tough times, mental and physical pain, often surprising herself and others with her resilience. Louise and I wouldn’t be the women we are today without the influence of our mother, our dear mother.
Oh Mummy. How you will be missed by us all. I hope you knew just how much you were loved, the impression you made and what a void we now have. You have left an indelible mark on our hearts, and we will never forget your larger than life personality, your funny sayings nor your sense of humour.
I will continue to light Shabbat candles each week using the candlesticks that your grandmother gave to you.
I hope and pray that Louise and I will continue your legacy, make you and Daddy proud and continue your good name. Thank you for giving us life. We love you.