Edene Vidinha was the youngest of three children and only girl born to Maurice Smith and Emma Wohlers Smith in 1905. After Maurice Smith died, Edene was raised by her mother and stepfather, John Naleimaile, Koloa Plantation policeman, who later became a Kaua'i county policeman in Koloa.  Edene and her family lived in a home adjoining the courthouse in Koloa, where her stepfather worked. She first attended Koloa School, then transferred to Kawaiahao Seminary in Honolulu.

The youngest of eight children who survived childbirth, Vivian Leilani Vidinha Souza was born January 14, 1918 in Koloa. Her father, Antone Vidinha, Sr., was Portuguese born in Mana, Kauai and eventually became the sheriff of Koloa. Her mother, Alohakeau Hale Vidinha, was Hawaiian born on Niihau. Vivian's brother, Antone Vidinha, was a former mayor of Kauai. Vivian, a lifelong resident of Koloa and Poipu, completed the eighth grade at Koloa School.