Vivian Rapaport
Born in Brooklyn, Vivian Rapaport, loving wife, mother, and grandmother, who devoted her life to art, poetry, contemporaneous issues, and unconditional love of family, died on December 21st in her home in San Francisco. She was 90 years old.
Her Russian born mother, Helen, the oldest of seven children, was among the first in the family to emigrate to America from Warsaw. Her father, Simon, was a slipper manufacturer in New York before the Depression.
Vivian survived all of her siblings, her sisters Pauline and Hannah, better known as Pearl and Hennie, and her brothers Morris (Moishe) and Charles, who both served in the Navy during World War II. Vivian relished recounting the story Moishe told of serving in the Pacific, where the rigors of war were compounded by the gooney birds, whose noise kept the troops up at night. One day, there was a huge commotion amongst the birds and the troops caused by a surprise visit from Eleanor Roosevelt. He said that if she could go all the way there, he should stop his complaining. Mrs. Roosevelt became one of Vivian’s most respected influences.
The family moved to Los Angeles where Vivian attended Virgil Jr. High School, where she met her future husband. She graduated from Belmont High School and received a B.A. from San Francisco State University in Speech/Art in 1949.
Her interests in pottery, painting, tennis, music, singing, writing, and theatre were fostered by her husband, a young medical student who would become a renowned cardiologist, Dr. Elliot Rapaport. While at Mt. Zion Hospital, Elliot was torn between two offers with a big difference in salary and he asked Vivian what he should do. Her advice was to do the work that would make him the happiest, which turned out to be academic medicine. Foregoing the private sector, Elliot devoted his life to championing public health delivery and helping to build the cardiology departments at UCSF and San Francisco General Hospital. Vivian’s lifelong support allowed Elliot to follow his heart. Vivian raised her three children with zest and humor. She fostered a love of travel, respect for others, and a sense of pride in hard work.
Her interest in the arts extended to work for the De Young Museum, the San Francisco Film Festival, and of course her own work. She used various media including ceramics, raku, gourds, and canvas. Vivian published three books, two poetry and one prose, which expressed reflections of her childhood and her development as a woman during changing times.
Vivian was known for an iconoclastic and wry sense of humor which she never lost, even when her health deteriorated. She was never afraid to point out when the Emperor had no clothes. Vivian was an astute observer of human nature and was known for her ability to accurately size up a person after one conversation. She was impressed by those who followed their consciences in the face of pressure. A knowledgeable baseball fan, she was impressed by Hank Greenberg for refusing to play on dates that conflicted with his faith. She was thrilled with having Willie Mays as a neighbor and thought he was the greatest.
Vivian was always more concerned about others than herself. After Elliot’s death in 2010, she noted that: “Independent living is a myth. It does not exist for people like me who want to stay in their backyard without being a burden to their families.” In reality she was an inspiration, not a burden, as she adjusted to a new life after losing her partner of 66 years.
A private memorial service has already been held. Instead of flowers, donations can be made to The Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. She will be missed by her children, Daniel Rapaport, Diane McCarthy, and David Rapaport, and their spouses, Juliet, Francis, and Andrea, and her grandchildren Jake, Gina, Zoe, Michael, Wes, and Kenny.