Who Is Vivian Ridge? Bob Ross’s First Wife and Mother of His Son Steve

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Most people know Bob Ross as the calm painter with the soft voice and the big curly hair. Fewer people know the names of the people in his life. One of them is Vivian Ridge. She was his first wife and the mother of his son, Steve Ross.

Quick Bio

Detail	Information
Full name	Vivian Ridge
Known for	First wife of painter and TV host Bob Ross
Husband	Bob Ross (Robert Norman Ross)
Marriage	1965
Divorce	1977
Length of marriage	About 12 years
Child with Bob Ross	Steve Ross (painter)
Bob Ross’s later wives	Jane Ross (1977 to 1992) and Lynda Brown (1995)
Nationality	American
Birth date and place	Not confirmed by reliable sources
Career	Not confirmed by reliable sources

Who Was Vivian Ridge?

Vivian Ridge is best known as the first wife of Bob Ross. Wikipedia lists her as his first spouse, with a marriage that started in 1965 and ended in 1977. Biography.com gives the same dates.

Beyond this, her life story is not well documented. She was not a TV star or a public figure herself. She did not give famous interviews, and no major biography tells her full story. That is why you will find only a few solid facts about her.

A Quick Look at Bob Ross

To understand Vivian’s place in the story, it helps to know a little about Bob Ross.

Bob Ross was born on October 29, 1942, in Daytona Beach, Florida. He joined the United States Air Force and served for many years. Later, he became a painting teacher and a TV host. His show, The Joy of Painting, ran on PBS from 1983 to 1994. In each episode, he painted a full landscape in about half an hour and spoke in a gentle, friendly way.

Bob Ross died on July 4, 1995, in Orlando, Florida. He was 52 years old. He had been fighting lymphoma, a type of cancer.

When Bob Ross and Vivian Ridge married in 1965, none of this fame had happened yet. He was still a young man in the military. The TV career came many years later.

The Marriage of Vivian Ridge and Bob Ross

Bob Ross married Vivian Ridge in 1965. According to Biography.com, they had a son named Steve the next year.

Their marriage lasted until 1977. That is about 12 years. During that time, Bob Ross was still building his path. He was in the Air Force, and he was also learning and practicing painting. The big TV fame was still far away.

Some small websites share more details about how the couple met, where Vivian went to school, or what she did after the divorce. These stories do not match each other, and they do not come from major sources. For that reason, we do not repeat them here. When a detail is not clear, it is better to leave it out than to guess.

One report says the marriage ended after Vivian accused Bob of cheating in 1977, and that the two stayed apart after that. This claim is not shared in every source, so readers should treat it with care.

Steve Ross: The Son of Vivian Ridge and Bob Ross

The most clear and lasting link to Vivian Ridge is her son, Steve Ross. Biography.com says that Steve became a painter like his father. He also appeared with Bob Ross on The Joy of Painting several times.

Many fans know Steve from those episodes. He carried on the painting style that his father made famous, and he is often linked to his father’s legacy.

Biography.com also says that Bob Ross had another son, named Jimmie. He was born before Bob’s first marriage. So Steve had a half brother. Public information about Jimmie is very limited.

What Happened After the Divorce?

After the divorce in 1977, Bob Ross moved on. In the same year, he married his second wife, Jane. Biography.com gives her full name as Jane Lee Zanardelli. They stayed together until Jane died of cancer in 1992.

Bob Ross then married Lynda Brown in 1995. This was only about two months before he died. Lynda Brown was with him in his last days.

As for Vivian Ridge, there is no trusted public record of what she did after the divorce. Some websites say she lived a quiet life with her son. Others make claims about her health or her death. These claims are not backed up by strong sources. Because of this, we cannot say anything certain about her later years.

Bob Ross’s Three Marriages at a Glance

Here is a short list that shows where Vivian fits in Bob Ross’s life:

Vivian Ridge: married in 1965, divorced in 1977. Mother of Steve Ross.
Jane Ross: married in 1977. She died of cancer in 1992.
Lynda Brown: married in 1995, about two months before Bob Ross died.

This list shows that Vivian was part of the early years of his adult life, before the fame, the TV show, and the famous brush strokes.

Why Is There So Little Information About Her?

There are a few simple reasons.

She was not a public person. Vivian did not host a show or write books. She lived outside the spotlight.

Bob Ross kept his private life private. He talked about nature, trees, and happy little clouds on TV. He did not talk much about his marriages or his family problems.

The marriage happened before his fame. By the time Bob Ross became a household name in the 1980s, the marriage was already over. Most stories about him focus on his TV years.

Some websites copy each other. If you search for her name, you will find many pages that repeat the same weak claims. Some of them even disagree on basic things like her age or her story. This is a good reminder to check where information comes from.

How to Check Facts About Vivian Ridge

If you want to learn more, here are some easy tips:

Trust well known sources first, like Wikipedia and Biography.com.
Be careful with small websites that have no author name or no clear sources.
If two sites tell very different stories, look for a third source before you believe either one.
Remember that “no information” does not mean “secret story.” Sometimes a person simply lived privately.

Her Place in the Bob Ross Story

Vivian Ridge may not be famous, but she is part of the story of one of the most loved painters in America. She was married to Bob Ross during a long period of his life. She is the mother of Steve Ross, who helped keep his father’s teaching alive on TV and beyond.

If you are writing about Bob Ross or just curious about his life, it is fair to say that Vivian Ridge was his first wife, that they were married from 1965 to 1977, and that they had a son together. Those are the facts that stand on solid ground.

Final Thoughts

Vivian Ridge lived a quiet life, and the public record about her is small. What we know for sure is simple: she was Bob Ross’s first wife, they were married from 1965 to 1977, and they had a son named Steve.

If more reliable information appears in the future, the story of Vivian Ridge may grow. For now, it is best to rely on trusted sources and avoid claims that nobody can prove.

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