PATRICIA VIVO, 72 Renowned speaker dies in Columbus

In 1995, Vivo received the Council of Peers Award of Excellence.
YOUNGSTOWN -- Patricia Vivo, a member of the Mahoning County Board of Education and an accomplished, nationally known public speaker, died Monday in Columbus.
Vivo died at 6:30 p.m. at the home of her daughter Alicia Vivo. She had been diagnosed with liver cancer in late January.
Vivo's funeral will be at 10 a.m. Friday in St. Columba Cathedral. Calling hours are from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Fox Funeral Home.
Vivo, 72, of 743 Nelbert Lane, was a full-time professional speaker and a former Boardman schools elementary teacher. She received a bachelor's degree in education from Youngstown State University.
In 1995, Vivo received the Council of Peers Award of Excellence, one of the professional speaking world's top honors. At the time, she was one of only 21 women in the world and the only woman in Ohio to receive the award.
Motivational speaker
Vivo, a motivational speaker who talked about family, values and making the right decisions, was a member of the National Speakers Association, an international organization for professional speakers. She had spoken to 1,700 groups across the country, and also wrote a book about her life.
The first born child of deaf parents, Vivo could use sign language before she learned to speak. She was the mother of eight, including a son, Anthony P. Vivo, Mahoning County Clerk of Courts. Her late husband, Anthony Sr., also had been county clerk of courts.
In addition to being a CPAE recipient, Vivo had earned the right to use the letters CSP -- Certified Speaking Professional -- after her name, of which there were only about 300 worldwide.
She also had served on the Mahoning County Joint Vocational School District Board of Education and the American Cancer Society board.