Paul L. Vien

Paul Lloyd Vien, 79, passed away at home in Westport, MA on January 7, 2026 after a brief illness.

He was the beloved husband of Joan E. (Reynolds) Vien for 51 years.

Born and raised in New Bedford, son of the late Henry J. and Ruth S. (Maxfield) Vien, he lived in Westport most of his life.

He was a graduate of Southeastern Mass University with a bachelor's degree in accounting.

Paul served as a Sgt. in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War era, stationed in Seoul, South Korea.

He was an avid tennis player and was a tennis pro / teacher at the former Dartmouth Indoor Tennis Courts.

He was formerly employed by Sears, Roebuck and Co. in Dartmouth and Swansea for many years until his retirement.

Paul was an accomplished painter who captured the beauty of the New England coastline in hundreds of watercolor and oil paintings.

He especially loved painting "en plein air" with other artists as well as on his own.

He won numerous awards in exhibitions and juried art shows. His paintings can be found in private collections across the United States.

Paul was a lifetime member of the Westport Art Group and had served as a former president.

He was very involved with the addition of a new gallery space at the WAG in 2016.

He was also a member of South Coast Artists, a signature member of the Rhode Island Watercolor Society and a prior member of the American Watercolor Society.

Paul had also become fascinated with glass jewelry-making and he was continually experimenting and improving on his dichroic glass pendants and other glass pieces.

A descendant of a whaling captain, he was a long-time volunteer at the New Bedford Whaling Museum in their research library, transcribing whaling ship logs.

Survivors include his wife Joan; two much-loved daughters: Dr. Courtney Vien and her husband John of Durham, NC and Kristin Vien of Westport and her partner, Johnny Duarte; two brothers: Richard Vien and his wife Penny of Myrtle Beach, S.C. and Peter Vien and his wife Carol of Marietta, GA; two sisters: Marcia Mitchell of Fairhaven, MA and Laura Kirk and her husband Frank of Carolina Beach, NC; two treasured grandchildren, Nicholas Duarte and Annika Vien-Zhu; and many nieces and nephews.
He was the brother of the late Mark Vien and his late wife, Shannon.
His Memorial Service / Celebration of Life will be held in early spring.