Feb. 7, 1946 — July 21, 2008

“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” — 2 Timothy 4:7

Heaven must be in disarray, for God has called home his greatest organizer. The Catholic Community, the educational system, and the homeless animals of the Northwest lost a leader, a teacher, and an ambassador on the afternoon of July 21, when Betty Anne Brunette-Viviano, 62, passed on after a long and courageous battle with cancer.

Born to William and Maude Brunette in North Hollywood, Calif., Betty Anne grew up traveling the world, learning a multitude of cultures, languages, and customs. She studied language at Mainz, Germany.

After returning to the United States, and many years living in southern Arizona, Betty Anne moved her family to the lush, green forests of the Oregon Coast, where she used her various life experiences from around the globe as a teaching assistant for the English as a Second Language program in the Philomath School District.

Betty Anne welcomed countless youngsters to our country, all with the warmth, acceptance, and discipline of a true educator.

On the outskirts of Philomath, the Viviano homestead was alive with the voices of her personal land-bound ark. An inexhaustible animal lover, she was an accomplished horsewoman and dog breeder, but also maintained a revolving personal shelter, welcoming every imaginable creature to share her home with her.

She was also a respected Master Gardner, and designed and maintained her own greenhouse business for many years.

However, Betty Anne is best known for her monumental devotion, involvement, and leadership within the Catholic Church. An almost daily fixture at Saint Mary’s Parish Masses for nearly 20 years, Betty Anne was a Eucharistic Minister, a devoted regular for Perpetual Adoration (and at the weird hours that no one else wants), and a skilled and gifted icon writer, she was also a Catholic Daughter.

For the past year, she was named Catholic Daughter Regent, a title she not only took seriously, but to heart, embracing the teachings, the honor, and the faith the position bestowed upon her.

Always a mother figure and matriarch to those who knew her in the church and community, she leaves behind her own three children, in whom she instilled faith, strength and independence. You made us who we are Mom, the greatest gift a parent can bestow upon their children. We are forever thankful, and will miss you terribly. You are loved deeply.

She is survived by Josie Viviano, of Los Angeles, Calif.; Carlo William George Viviano of Norfolk, Va., husband of Tomira and father of Betty Anne’s only granddaughter, Au Jo; and her youngest son, John Paul Michael Viviano of Corvallis, who tirelessly devoted himself to her care and remained by her side until the very end.

Additional survivors include her mother, Maude Brunette of Florence; and brother and sister-in-law Edward and Kathy Brunette, and their three children, of Seattle.

She was preceded in death by her father, William Brunette.

On Betty Anne’s last night, she requested that her mother, Maude, remain with her all night. She indicated a chair by her bed, and told her mom, “I want you there, in that chair. Right there.” She ran the show until the end, and we hope she forgives us for having to plan this last one on our own.

A rosary will be at 6 p.m. Friday, July 25, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church. A memorial Mass will be held at the church at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 26, followed by burial and a reception.

Arrangements were made with DeMoss-Durdan Funeral Home and Crematory, www.demossdurdan.com.