Victor Joseph Rivet

Victor Joseph Rivet

Victor Joseph Rivet quietly passed away at home in the arms of his beloved wife Jennifer on Sunday February 19, 2012. He left this world with the grace of an eagle about to soar. An artist his entire life, he saw beauty in the natural world that others might miss and tried to share this beauty with those around him. His respect for the outdoors was evident as he took you through the woods on one of his journeys and plant identification trips. His yard was kept as a wildlife reserve and was a reflection of his love for nature and plant preservation. Endlessly fascinated by the natural world he was able to combine his immense curiosity, his knowledge of clay and his need to express in order to create superlative sculptures of characters, animals and zoomorphic teapots. The expanse of his love and creativity has been felt by so many and his love of clay has inspired more. He believed in working hard, giving it everything you had, with no excuses, but also knew how to enjoy simple things that would bring him and those around him joy. Victor worked as a concrete finisher for many years but as this hard work started to take a toll on his body he yearned to go back to school. In 1993 Vic attended GRCC and met his future wife, Jennifer, in Math class. He graduated Phi Theta Kappa 1996. Vic worked as a work study student in the ceramics lab, and knew immediately he had found his bliss. He was hired full time as Instructional Lab Tech where he worked until his death. Victor was born in California and grew up in Seattle, Washington where he graduated from Tyee High School in 1966. Throughout his life he lived in Arizona, SeaTac and Kent, Washington.Victor was preceded in death by his parents, Joseph Rivet and Dorothy Rivet. He is survived by his wife Jennifer Hartmann Rivet. Children: Tamara Rivet, Seattle, WA; and Stella Bui-Rivet, Manchester, WA. Step-children: Bianca Brookman, Seattle, WA; Jessica StewartMaize, Hillsboro, OR; Tony Brookman, Clinton, WA; Fletcher Sandbeck, Manchester, WA; and Lewis Sandbeck, Port Orchard, WA. Grandchildren: Keenan Brookman, Beck StewartMaize, Aiden Ehlers, Quinn Talbot, Ethan StewartMaize, Avery Ehlers and a grandson on the way.A celebration of his life will be held on March 4, 2012 at 2:00 pm at the Green River Community College.