Vivian Berkeley

Vivian Berkeley, who lived from 9 August 1941 to 17 March 2025, was a Canadian blind lawn bowler, two-time World Blind Lawn Bowling Champion, silver medallist at the 1996 Paralympic Games and bronze medallist at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, where at the age of 61 she was the oldest athlete representing Canada. Born in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, and educated at the Halifax School for the Blind, she moved to Kitchener, Ontario, in 1968 and began lawn bowling in 1989. Across a competitive career from 1994 to 2015 she won 60 medals, including 22 straight provincial golds and 21 national golds, plus 17 international medals from eight countries. She founded the Blind Bowls Association of Canada and has been inducted into the Canadian Disability Hall of Fame, the Waterloo Region Hall of Fame and the Ontario Lawn Bowls Association Hall of Fame.