Obituary of Edward W. Varney

Edward W. Varney, Jr., 84, of Centerbrook, beloved husband of Lorraine (Murphy) Varney, passed away on Thursday, November 17, 2016. Born in Centerbrook on May 17, 1932, he was the son of the late Edward W. Varney, Sr. and Edith (Sheagren) Varney. Ed was a graduate of Pratt High School (1950) and Wentworth Institute (1952). He was a switch-hitting shortstop and pitcher, and held the highest career batting average in Wentworth history (.411/.405) for many years. He proudly served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. In 1955, he married Betty (Baldoni), whom he met at Saybrook Garage, and they built and settled into their home in Centerbrook shortly afterward. Ed went to work as a draftsman at Electric Boat, and later at Fisher Products and Posi-Seal International in North Stonington. He loved all things Ford, especially his Model-A's that he was still restoring until recently. His mint 1929 Model-A Fordor Sedan won countless trophies in the 1960s and '70s as best in class in the New England area. Another passion of Ed's was Little League baseball, where "Coach Varney" managed a dominant Essex Tigers team for a number of years. He was a die-hard Boston Red Sox fan, and rarely was without one of his famous Red Sox hats. It was one of the great joys of his life to have lived to see a World Series flag flying over Fenway Park. After Betty passed away, Ed and Lorraine were married in 1983, and they spent many special winters together in Palmetto, FL, where they enjoyed the company of Bob and Dottie Yost, John and Ethel Murphy, Newt and Judy Palm, and many others. Ed reveled in his new, extended family, and was especially proud of his 10 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren, whom he adored. He added to his sports resume with a hole-in-one in 1992. In addition to Lorraine, he leaves his children, Donna Sheehan (Bryan) of Ellington, Steve Varney of Vernon, Brian Varney of East Baldwin, ME, Steve Pratt (Mary) of Vernon, and Todd Varney of Oakland, CA, his grandchildren, Jennifer Todaro (Paul) of Ellington, Jamie Patten (Jake) of Ellington, Brian Varney, Jr. of Portland, OR, Rebecca Place (Jordan) of Scarborough, ME, Michael Varney (Isabelle) of Cromwell, Will Pratt (Aftyn) of Liverpool, NY, Daniel Varney of Rocky Hill, Malia Pratt of Vernon, Lindsay Varney of Los Angeles, CA and Pvt. James Varney, U.S. Army, of Effingham, NH, and great-grandchildren, Sophia, Jaxon, Lucas, Nicholas and Tyler. He was predeceased by his wife, Betty (Baldoni), and by his sister, Eleanor (Varney) Cornish. Visitation will be held on Monday, November 21, 2016 at the Robinson Wright & Weymer Funeral Home, 34 Main Street in Centerbrook from 5:00PM to 6:30PM with funeral services following. Burial will be privately held in the Centerbrook Cemetery. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made in Ed's name to The Jimmy Fund, 10 Brookline Place West, 6th Floor, Brookline, MA 02445-7226. To share a memory of Ed or send a condolence to his family please visit www.rwwfh.com