Vivian T. Vlachos-Oliver

Vivian T. Vlachos-Oliver, 58, of Grants Pass died Oct. 8, 2007, at her home. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Friday at Applegate Christian Fellowship. Interment will be at Pierce Brothers Cemetery in Thousand Oaks, Calif. She was born Aug. 23, 1949, in Queens, N.Y., to Bill and Ruth Vlachos. Shortly after she was born, her family moved to Marion, Ohio. In 1956, they moved to Moorpark, Calif. They later moved to Palmdale, Calif., where she graduated from Palmdale High School in 1967. On May 8, 1971, in Moorpark, she married Ron Oliver. They moved to Merlin in 1980 from Los Angeles. She raised her children and helped out in their classrooms and with children's church. She earned her certified nursing assistant and licensed vocational nursing licenses at Simi Valley Adult School. In 1991, she graduated from Rogue Community College with a registered nurse license and an associate's degree. She worked at Royale Gardens Health and Rehabilitation Center, where she specialized in long-term care until she developed ovarian cancer in 2002. She enjoyed science and using her nursing skills to help others. She traveled to Mexico with Applegate Christian Fellowship and spent six months in Africa as a surgery nurse with Mercy Ships. Survivors include two children, Erin and Neyland Oliver, both of Grants Pass; her mother, Ruth Vlachos of Rogue River; and two grandchildren.