FODOR

With sadness we share the passing of Vivian Zione Fodor (née Rider) of Rimbey, Alberta.  Our loving mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, and friend passed away on Thursday, September 10, 2026, at the age of 86 years.

Vivian was born in Donalda, Alberta on December 28, 1939 to Jack and Alma Rider.  She was the third of four children.  Vivian travelled on horseback to the small Skybo School near her home, later attending school in Donalda.  She then completed Grade 12 in Bashaw, Alberta while living with her older sister.  Following high school, Vivian spent a year enrolled in the home economist program at the Provincial Institute of Technology and Art in Calgary.  She was very fortunate to grow up on a farm on the shore of Buffalo Lake.  When all the chores were finished for the day, Vivian went swimming or fishing and became an avid water-skier.  She also belonged to the local beef and dairy 4-H Clubs as a child, and passed her passion for 4-H on to her children and grandchildren.   

While attending a dance in Donalda, Vivian met the love of her life, Otto Fodor.  They were married six months later.  Their first two sons were born while they were travelling with the bridge crew with Otto’s work, and living in a 20-foot holiday trailer.  In 1963, Vivian and Otto purchased a farm north of Bluffton where they built a house, and where their third son and first daughter were born.  They operated a mixed farm with dairy, beef, pigs, and grain.  Vivian and Otto built a new house in 1968 with the help of good neighbours, and their youngest daughter was born there, making the family complete. 

Vivian was accomplished at sewing.  She quilted and sewed many clothes for her family, including graduation and bridesmaid dresses.  After her children were grown, Vivian took up painting and she painted some very beautiful scenes for her family.  She also spent countless hours tending to her pretty yard and garden, and enjoyed being a member of the Hoadley Happy Gang and the Springdale Ladies Club for many years.  After selling the dairy cows in 1984, Vivian and Otto spent time travelling all around the world, as well as touring dance jamborees across western Canada.  She was an avid floor curler and was always ready for a good game of crib.  After Otto’s passing, Vivian moved into Rimbey and remained very active in her community.  She loved her fifteen grandchildren and when they visited, she always had homemade cookies to snack on.  She was also very proud of her six great-grandchildren, with two more babies on the way. 

Vivian will be lovingly remembered by her family:  her three sons, Leslie (Elaine) Fodor of Mirror, and their children Lisa (Graham), Kyle (Michelle), Michelle (Jesse), and Darin; Alan Fodor of Parkland County, and his children Jack and Piper; and Harvey (Laura) Fodor of Red Deer, and their children Cole (Emily) and Taylor; as well as her two daughters, Darlene (Stephen) Went of Bluffton, and their children Jeanine (Adam), Andrew (Rebecca), Chantel (Josh), and Ashley (Liam); and Joyce (Gerald) Willsie of Caroline, and their children Brittany (Brodey), Erin, and Katelyn.  She will also be lovingly remembered by six precious great-grandchildren Jason, Lyla, Lukacs, Aria, Odin, and Elliot; her sister Betty Rider of Red Deer; and her sister-in-law Helen Proskurnik of Calgary; in addition to several other relatives and many close friends.  Vivian was predeceased by her parents; her beloved husband of 62 years, Otto; her sister Orlene; and her brother Oris. 

A Family-hosted Informal Gathering Celebrating the Life of Vivian Fodor will be held at the Hoadley Community Hall, Hoadley, Alberta (north of Rimbey on Highway 20, west on Township Road 450, south on Range Road 33) on Thursday, September 24, 2026, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.  A Private Family Interment Service took place in the Hoadley Cemetery.  If desired, memorial donations in Vivian’s memory may be made directly to the Hoadley Community Hall, Site 7, Box 30, RR 2, Bluffton, Alberta  T0C 0M0; or to the charity of one’s choice.  Thoughts and messages to the family may be shared through the condolence area located at the bottom of this page.  

Burial Arrangements for the late Vivian Zione Fodor (née Rider) entrusted to the care of