Obituaries

Belkin, Vivian, 94, of Gulfport, Florida, passed away November 27, 2020 in St. Petersburg, Florida. Vivian was born in South Bend, Indiana to Samuel and Celia Belkin on February 6, 1926. She graduated with a degree in teaching from Wayne University and worked as a physical education teacher for the Detroit and Oak Park Public School Districts for over 25 years. She was respected and admired by her peers and loved by her students for her forthright, honest and caring manner. The evidence of her bond with students is seen in the fact that many of them continued writing and visiting her in Florida five or six decades after having her as a teacher. Vivian was a life-long Detroiter until she relocated to Gulfport, along with her mother, sister, brother and sister-in-law in 1977. Vivian loved to travel with her sister, Madeline and, together, they visited six of the seven continents. Her favorite trip was a multi-week-long safari to Africa, which she took at a time when safaris were still fraught with adventure and danger. Vivian especially loved gambling and visiting casinos, not only in Las Vegas, but also throughout the South. She was an avid golfer and greatly enjoyed the time she spent with her nieces and nephews. Vivian is survived by her niece, Marilyn Thousand, of Gulfport, Florida, her nephew, Howard (Barbara) Belkin, of Birmingham, Michigan, her great-nieces, Alyse Belkin, Jacqueline Belkin and Stephanie Belkin, of Birmingham, Michigan, and her great-nephew Shawn (Kristi) Thousand of Warren, Michigan. She is preceded in death by her parents, Samuel Belkin and Celia Belkin, her brother, Jack Belkin, her sister-in-law, Anne Belkin, her sisters Madeline Belkin and Bernice Belkin, and her great-nephew Scot Thousand. A funeral service was held with burial at Chapel Hill Memorial Park, Largo.

David C. Gross Funeral Home in St. Petersburg is serving the family.