Vivien Cushman Thurmond

Augusta, GA – Mrs. Vivien Leith Cushman Thurmond entered into her heavenly rest on October 15, 2010 at her home in Augusta, GA. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 63 years, Cornelius Brooks Thurmond, Jr.

Graveside services will be held at 2:00 PM on Tuesday, October 19, 2010 at Westover Memorial Park with The Very Reverend Robert D. Fain officiating.

Born in Augusta on January 13, 1923, Vivien lived her entire life in Augusta, with the exception of about seven years spent in Washington, DC, while her husband served in the U. S. Marine Corps during WWII, and afterward when he attended George Washington University Law School.

Vivien was a devoted wife, mother, and friend. She will be remembered for her ever-present sense of humor, her unfailing thoughtfulness toward others, and her indomitable strength of character and will. These traits were evident throughout the seasons of her life, as she created a warm and happy home for her young family, excelled as the wife of her husband’s dreams, chauffeured her children to school, to dance and music lessons, volunteered at their schools and served as their scout leader. Later in life she nursed her ailing mother-in-law through a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. When the time came for her to face the final illness and eventual death of her beloved C.B., she relied again upon those traits, becoming an example to others as she quietly coped with her grief, displaying extraordinary strength and dignity.

An avid genealogist, Vivien dedicated more than sixty years of her life to researching her family history and that of her husband. In the years before the world-wide-web brought many genealogical records to the researcher’s fingertips, Vivien patiently gathered the information by traveling to libraries, archives and courthouses, filling hundreds of notebooks with hand-written facts about her ancestors.

Vivien was a member of The Church of the Good Shepherd Episcopal and the Augusta Country Club. She was a charter member of the Augusta Genealogical Society, serving as the society’s first librarian. She was also a member of the College Hill Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, and the Reverend Pierre Robert Chapter, Colonial Dames of the Seventeenth Century. She was a former member of the Pine Needle Garden Club.

Always eager to learn, Vivien continued her education after she had reared her children, attending Augusta State University (then Augusta College) as a part-time student for several years.

Vivien knew her way around a kitchen: A jar of her delicious pepper jelly, a loaf of her home-baked bread or one of her cakes were frequently given as gifts, and highly prized by her friends.

She leaves to cherish her memory a daughter, Deborah Ann “Debbe” Thurmond of Augusta, GA; two sons, C. Brooks Thurmond, III and his wife, Cathy, of Atlanta, GA, Tracy M. Thurmond and his wife, Veronique, of Grovetown, GA; a sister, Margie C. Powell of Evans, GA; a cousin, Daniel Watson LaSure and his wife, Marilyn, of Augusta, GA; and numerous friends.

In addition to her husband, Vivien was preceded in death by her parents, John Glover Cushman and Ethel Marguerite LaSure Cushman, a sister, Shirley C. Teague and her step-mother Myrtis Brown Cushman.

In lieu of flowers, memorial in Vivien’s memory may be made to The Augusta Genealogical Society, 1109 Broad Street, Augusta, Georgia 30901 or The Augusta Humane Society, P.O. Box 12035, Augusta, Georgia 30919.

The family will receive friends at Platt’s Crawford Avenue on Monday, October 18, 2010 from 6:00 PM until 8:00 PM.