Vivian Irene Emmel

Vivian Emmel, 95, of Great Falls went home to glory on August 18, 2018. Funeral services will take place at Fairview Baptist Church on Friday, August 23, 2018 at 11:00 a.m. with burial to follow at Manchester Cemetery.O’Connor Funeral Home is handling arrangements. Vivian Irene Latham was born January 27, 1923 in Faulkton, South Dakota. She was born to Ora and Mary Latham, and was the second of four children, Helen, Vivian, Alvin and Carol. Her family moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota when Vivian was four years old. During her high school years she worked at the Doyle Chicken Shop.It was owned by her Dad and two uncles and was probably one of the first “fast food” restaurants of its day. Vivian worked with a lovely lady named Barbara Franklin. Barb talked to her often about the Lord and one day led her to the Lord. She said, “it gave me the peace and joy I was seeking.” They named their first daughter after Barb. After graduation, she worked at a war plant until the fall of 1943 when she went to St. Paul Bible Institute.There she met this nice, but very shy man named Villes Emmel.She said she could feel him blushing over the phone when he called her and asked her for their first date. They were married on June 18, 1945. One of her “humorous but humiliating” memories of their honeymoon was watching a hotel attendant bring their old “1929 Ford Model A” down the ramp from the upper parking area. There was a crowd watching to see if the old car would make it safely down. It was notoriously void of good brakes! Their first church was in Clotho, Minnesota. The parsonage was an old unoccupied farm house without any modern facilities. The house was infested with rats and the yard was full of poison ivy. Villes was pretty impressed with the way his "city bride" handled it. In the Lord’s plans they started a family in their early 30’s.Barb, a rambunctious two and a half year old, was joined by very premature twins, Gail (2.3 oz.) and Gwen (1.15oz.) There were feedings every two hours and mounds of diapers washed in a wringer washer.As a Godly woman, Vivian’sgreatest desire was for her girls to love the Lord as she did. She taught them through the Word and by example. She loved to be joined with her family in church, trips, camping, special occasions and parties. She became “Mom” to several other “daughters” down through the years. They spent 40 years with Baptist Mid-Missions serving the Lord. Vivian was a wonderful pastor’s wife.She had the gift of hospitality. She loved company and always had coffee and goodies ready for you if you came to visit. She is survived by three daughters, Barbara (JR) Sorenson, Gail Emmel and Gwen Bush;four grandchildren Cherie (Mark) Gunderson,Alisha (Ryan) Wells, Phillip Bush and Tonya (Adam) Romkama; andsix great- grandchildren, Cole and Logan Gunderson, Fynn Wells, and Nathaniel, Isabel and Eve Romkama. Cards and donations may be given to Gale Emmel at 1010 22nd Ave South, Great Falls Montana 59405 or to Fairview Baptist Church building program.