Vivian Gail Cloninger | 80 | Pittsfield

By Editor | January 16, 2024 |

Vivian Gail Cloninger, 80, from Pittsfield, Illinois went home to the Lord on Jan. 11, 2024 at her residence following a brief illness.
Vivian was born on Sept. 10, 1943 in Murrayville, Illinois, daughter of the late Lee Roy Cloninger and Edna Louise (Mulford) Cloninger. She graduated from Roodhouse High School in 1961 and went to work for Horace Mann Insurance as a data analyst in Springfield where she had a long, successful career until her retirement.
Vivian married Wilbur Lee Cloninger at Elliott Avenue Baptist Church in Springfield on Nov. 24, 1984. He preceded her in death on July 2, 1997.
She was a long-time member of The First Christian Church, Pittsfield. Her mom used to take her to church when she was a girl and she became a Christ follower at age 13.
Aunt Viv, as she was lovingly called by her family, had a keen interest in genealogy and did much study of the family tree. She authored a book called “Cloninger Families of Early Illinois” in 2003.
She was a lifelong fan of baseball, especially the Pittsburgh Pirates. As a young girl, she went to her first game with her father to St. Louis to see the Pirates play the Cardinals. She later took her mother who was a Cardinals fan every year to see them play the Pirates. She traveled almost every year to Pittsburgh and she loved to travel the US and the world, making many trips to Israel.
Vivian was a proud member of the Daughters of the American Revolution for 45 years, longest standing member of Chapter.
Left to cherish her memory are her brother and sister-in-law, John Cloninger (Virginia) of Rock Island, IL; nieces, Mary Cloninger Marquis (Trent) of Moline, IL and Sherry Austin Upton (Gary Arnold) of Springfield, IL; nephew, Ron Austin of Springfield, IL; and many great-nieces and great-nephews.
Vivian was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, sisters  Sheila Cloninger Austin, and Elsie and Martha Jo Cloninger, and nephew J. Richard Cloninger.
Funeral services will be held Monday, Jan. 22, 2024, at Airsman-Hires Funeral Home in Pittsfield, IL. Burial will be in Pittsfield West Cemetery. Memorials may be made to The First Christian Church in Pittsfield or The Mason City Cemetery in Mason City, IL. Condolences may be sent to the family online at www.airsman-hires.com