LEWISTON – Vivien Pilot, 82, formerly of Wales, passed away Wednesday November 24, 2021 at Woodlands Memory Care of Lewiston with her loving family at her side.She was born October 4, 1939 in East Orange, NJ the daughter of Anthony and Theresa (Terregino) Del Giudice.New Jersey is where Vivien met and married her husband, Richard Pilot, in a whirlwind romance. Together they had 5 precocious sons. After vacationing in Maine, they decided to move their family out of the suburbs, to give the boys room to roam. In 1969, they settled on and old farm house and 150 acres of land in Wales. In 1970, Vivien gave birth to a baby girl.In 1972, a tragic accident on the farm took the life of Vivien’s 11 year old son, David. The family was never the same. Although they stayed together for several years after their son’s death, the sorrow was too great for Vivien and her husband, and the marriage ended.A voracious reader, you could always find Vivien with a book in her hand, however, never a romance novel. Cookbooks, books on health or politics, autobiographies, how-to books; these were the books she devoured. Her love of this variety of reading supported her natural self-teaching capabilities and would prove very useful at many times throughout her life.Quiet, thoughtful, and measured, she had an adventurous side, too. After moving to Maine, this suburban bookworm learned how to shoot a gun and hunt deer, garden, raise farm animals, ride a horse, cut and split firewood and tend a wood stove. After sending her youngest child off to school, Vivien re-entered the workforce at Bell Manufacturing Company in Lewiston. Not too long after that, the world started changing. As things became more computerized, Vivien took steps to keep up with new technology. After working all day, she would attend evening computer classes at the local college. She did all of this while raising her family by herself in the old farmhouse.Coming from a long line of Italian cooks, Vivien was no exception. Everything she cooked was delicious, but her specialty was a slow cooked tomato gravy with meatballs. This was the foundation to the most spectacular lasagna you could ever eat. Whether she was hosting a meal or just contributing, she loved any occasion to gather family and friends around good food. Although she passed her love of cooking on to her kids, nothing will ever taste quite like hers. Everyone has their own way of showing love and appreciation. Vivien’s way was helping you solve a problem. If you mentioned to her that you weren’t feeling well, you could be sure that she would have found a book in her vast library with a bookmark placed at the remedy. If she overheard you say that you wished you knew how to do something, she surely had a book about that, too. Even weeks later, you would likely be handed some sort of instructions. If something needed to be assembled or fixed, she had the patience to research the owner’s manual for the “how-to”, while your urge is to throw the thing across the room out of frustration. Out of her comfort zone, at the age of 50, she decided to overcome her dislike of the water and took swim lessons. When asked how the first lesson went, she replied “Well, my instructor tried to drown me, but it was okay.” In her mid-50s, she became a licensed massage therapist, a bold move for a mid-life introvert.Just when most people are settling down to a relaxing retirement, Vivien jumped at the opportunity to help her daughter Sara and son-in-law Steven launch their own property management business and contributed to that success for 11 years before retiring.She is survived by a daughter Sara LaBrecque & husband Steven; four sons Rick Pilot & wife Monica, Mathew Pilot, Peter Pilot, and Robert Pilot; four sisters Elaine Trucksess, Theresa Zaccardo & husband Arthur, Nancy Garvey, and MaryAnn King & husband Don; two brothers Toby Del Giudice and Anthony Del Giudice & wife Cathye; 10 grandchildren, 14 great grandchildren; several cousins, nieces and nephews.Vivien was predeceased by a son David Pilot, her parents, and her former husband, Richard Pilot.The Pilot family would like to thank the floor staff at Woodlands Memory Care of Lewiston as well as the hospice staff from Beacon House for their kindness and affection shown to Vivien during her time at Woodlands.Online condolences may be shared with her family at http://www.thefortingroupauburn.comAt the request of her family, services will be private. Arrangements are with Fortin Funeral Group, 217 Turner Street, Auburn.In lieu of flowers, a contribution in Vivien’s name may be made to Our Lady of the Rosary Church at 131 High Street, Sabattus, ME 04280. Donations may alsobe made online.

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