Vivi Klocek passed away peacefully at home on June 19, 2023. Vivi was born in Copenhagen, Denmark on July 2, 1938, the third of six children raised by Fredrik Hoppe and Emmy Michaelsen. Her life was one that was indeed well lived. Vivi was an excellent swimmer growing up, earning medals in individual events and participating as a part of a synchronized swimming team that performed for the Danish Royalty. She treasured her summers with family on the small island of Samso where she helped at her uncle's hotel in Nordby and explored the hills and pebbled beaches of the idyllic island. After completing school, she left home briefly to work as an au pair in London. Soon afterwards, Vivi's older sister talked her into applying for a job as a stewardess with Pan Am. Much to her surprise and delight, she was one of the very few selected from hundreds of applicants. She then boarded her very first flight - a Pan Am 707 that took her to New York for her training. Vivi flew for Pan Am for 7 years during the 60's. She had the opportunity to see the world. From safaris in Africa, to meeting glamorous movie stars and larger than life musicians, to buying silk in Thailand that she had made into dresses in Hong Kong, to the beauty and grace of Beruit, Vivi frequently said she should have paid Pan Am rather than they pay her given all she saw and experienced. The friends she made while flying for Pan Am were lifelong friends who eventually came to be seen as extended family. Being a member of the larger airline family was also how she met the love of her life in New York. She and Stan - who worked for American Airlines - moved to Chicago and married in 1967. Though Vivi retired from flying at this point, she never really left Pan Am behind as she was an active member of World Wings International for as long as she was able. Vivi devoted herself to raising her two children, showering them with love and providing guidance as they grew. She also discovered tennis along the way, a sport she played for many years in Chicago and continuing when the family moved to Texas. In addition to being a strong singles and doubles player, she made many close friends through tennis - friends who added to her ever-growing extended family. Though she lost Stan to cancer in 2002, she welcomed four grandchildren in the coming years - Anika, Benjamin, Emma, and Lars. She was just as devoted a grandmother as she was a mother, spending as much time as she could with them. Quick with a smile, a laugh, and a hug, Vivi brought happiness with her wherever she went. Her presence will be missed but the light she brought will be carried on by those who knew her. She is preceded in death by her beloved husband Stanley Klocek, by her parents Fredrik and Emmy, and by her five siblings Birthe Jeppesen, Ole Hoppe, Annie Alliegro, Ulla Kyhn-Hansen, and Peter Hoppe. She is survived by her daughter Karina Novak and son-in-law Jeff Novak; her son John Klocek and daughter-in-law Carol Klocek; and her grandchildren Anika Novak, Benjamin Riley, Emma Riley, and Lars Klocek. Memorial arrangements are pending and will be announced. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider a donation in her name to the Dementia Society of America.
