OS-140-17

Obituary

Vivian E. Handel Baze-Merz was born April 18, 1933 to Eugene Johannes Handel and Orina Mettler Handel in Menno, South Dakota. She was the second of 4 children. A rural family farm setting provided her earliest and happy home memories.

Playmates were most often cousins that lived on neighboring farms. German was the primary language spoken in their home, and ethnic German dishes were a mainstay at their table, with meals made from homegrown beef, pork, poultry, dairy, and garden vegetables.

The Handel family moved to Shafter, CA in 1946, where Vivian attended elementary and high school. Here she met and began dating Bobby Baze. Bob joined the Army in March 1951 and while he was home on a short leave from boot camp, he asked Vivian to marry him. He was scheduled for his final leave before shipping out to active duty in the Korean War in 2 weeks’ time, so a whirlwind wedding was put together, including a gown and bridesmaid dress sewn by her mother. While Bob was in the Korean War for 2 years, Vivian worked for the Bank of America in Shafter. After Bob returned from Korea, they started their family with the birth of Kathleen and 4 years later, Marianne.

They moved to Fresno in 1962 and began growing almonds. Learning how to cultivate almonds was challenging, but they soon mastered the hard work involved in hand-harvesting their crop. Kathleen and Marianne quickly learned that almond farming was a family endeavor, much to their dismay.

Vivian was busy with household duties and child rearing, but also found time to be involved in their church teaching Sunday school, and entertaining friends. She played the piano in church regularly for 30 years, having started this ministry when she was only 13. She was also an active 4-H leader in the areas of cooking, sewing and home economics.

Vivian was always busy in the kitchen preparing wonderful meals that were enjoyed by all, frequently hosting Sunday dinners and holiday meals for family and friends. She taught her daughters to cook and was very proud when they took up the culinary torch. Food was an important way for her to bring people together, and she treasured time spent around the table with those she loved. Vivian was an excellent seamstress and an exacting teacher to her daughters and 4H students. She made many beautiful outfits for herself, her girls, and even for their Barbie dolls.

In 1969 the family moved to Wasco and purchased another almond farm. Many celebrations and family gatherings were held at their Wasco home, and the annual backyard Easter party was a much-anticipated event for the whole family. Bob and Vivian loved to garden and maintained beautiful flower beds and vegetable gardens. Grandchildren were treasured and spent many happy times out on the farm with grandpa and grandma. They also enjoyed weekly square dancing for 12 years, delighting in the exercise, the good fun, and the many friendships this activity provided them.

The years on the Wasco farm were happy, active years, and Vivian was still out on a tractor when she was 74 years old!

Vivian began working for PG&E in 1977 as a customer service representative and retired after 18 years. She then worked at the Brannen & Powell accounting firm from 1995 to 2005.

In 2008, Bob passed away, and Vivian moved off of the farm to a home in town in Shafter, California.

She reconnected with former high school classmate and longtime friend, Robert Merz, and they married in 2014. They had quiet, happy times of shared companionship until the inevitable downturns of health. They moved to The Palms in 2021 where Vivian resided until her death on June 15, 2023.

Vivian was preceded in death by: husband, Bobby Baze, great-granddaughter Jaclyn Chenard, parents Eugene and Orina Handel, sister Evelyn Zeeb, and brother Lawrence Handel. She is survived by: Husband Robert Merz; daughters Kathleen Barnett (Ron) and Marianne Hockett (Brian); grandchildren Stephanie Chenard (Todd Hines), Aimee Wilson (Nathan), Tyler Hockett Baze (Jackie), Zachary Hockett (Kali), Laura Mitchell (Nate), and Melanie Hockett; sister Dianne Hlinka, many beloved nieces and nephews, 9 cherished great- grandchildren: Lucy, Audrey, Desmond, Charlotte, Marshall, Georgia, Coraline, Justin and Teddy; and 3 stepchildren: Stephen Merz (Marcia), Janet Merz (Jim Bruce) and Eric Merz (Gaylene).

Vivian was a hard worker who valued and loved her family, her friends, and her God.

Visitation will be held on Saturday, June 24, 2023 at 9am at the Ebenezer Reformed Church, Shafter CA followed by a service at 10am. Burial will follow. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Alzheimer’s Association (alz.org) or the American SIDS Institute (SIDS.org). Messages to the family and pictures can be sent to petersfuneralhomes.com. The service will be livestreamed at: https://www.youtube.com/@EbenezerReformedChurchShafter/streams