VARNEY, Nancy Van Riper
August 14, 1914 - February 24, 2004
Nancy Varney was born in Pelham, New York, and was a resident of BC for the past 32 years. She passed away at Arrowsmith Lodge in Parksville. She was predeceased by her husband, Cecil Varney, in May, 1984. Nancy received her B.A. from Barnard College in 1934 and lived in Manhattan, New Haven, New Rochelle, Pelham, and Pleasant Valley, New York, before moving to Lasqueti Island, BC, in 1972. She was a writer, a farm-wife, a business person, and an avid gardener. She was also a loving mother to four sons, a grandmother to seven grandchildren and a great-grandmother to five. While she lived on Lasqueti, she was a mentor to many women and a political activist involved in many community projects including the Lasqueti Community Association, the Lasqueti Food Co-op, and the Gulf Island Guardian - a publication dealing with issues concerning the Gulf Islands. She is survived by her four sons - Richard, and his wife Susan and their daughter Belle, of Parksville; James, and his fiancee Martha, of Qualicum; Arthur, and his daughter Leslie and family, of Seattle; and Edwin, and his partner Adele and his two daughters - Ocean of Royston and Catherine of Toronto - and his three sons - Christopher of Seattle, Nicholas of Cranbrook, and Jonathan of Richmond.
A descendent of immigrants to New Amsterdam in the 1600s, Nancy led a full and rich life. She was always interested in current affairs, in new developments in science and the arts, and she had a lively, probing, and curious intellect. She will be greatly missed by both her family and her numerous friends. A celebration of Nancy's life will be held at Eaglecrest Golf Club, (east of the Old Island Highway) on Country Club Road, Qualicum, on Saturday, March 6th, from 12:00 to 2:30 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Arrowsmith Lodge, 266 Moilliet Street, Parksville, BC, V9P 1M9.