John W Varner, Jr

John Wesley Varner, Jr. December 27, 1939 –August 21, 2014 John Wesley Varner, Jr. died in Jacksonville, Florida at the age of 74. He died of complications from a recurrence of lung cancer which was first treated in 2008. He was the son of Dr. John W. Varner and Billie Jordan Varner. John was predeceased by his parents and brother, Dr. Roy V. Varner. John was born in Conway, SC. When he was 2, his family moved to Columbia, SC where he lived until the age of 12. Lexington, NC was his home during Junior High and High School. He graduated from Lexington Senior High in 1957. From an early age, John was a very good writer. He was the editor of the High School newspaper the “Lexhipep” at the age of 16. In 1961, John graduated from Duke University where he had been awarded a full Navy scholarship. He majored in history which was his life-long passion. Pledging Sigma Alpha Epsilon, he later became president of his fraternity during his senior year. While in college, during the summers, John went on Navy cruises to Spain, Scandinavia, and Germany. After graduating from college, John served in the Navy for 8 years, achieving the rank of Lieutenant. During these years he served on the USS Hartley and the USS Henry W. Tucker. He also served as a shipboard advisor with the Vietnamese Navy Fleet Command. Overall, John was deployed in the area for nearly 3 years and participated in 178 days on patrol in 4 extended deployments during which he was subjected to direct enemy fire. He was awarded a Bronze Star for Meritorious Service. He loved to travel and during his time in the Navy, he visited over 35 ports. Returning to the US, John taught in the NROTC Dept. at UNC-CH. He also attended graduate school in History at UNC-CH. After being honorably discharged from the Navy in 1969, John headed west and traveled and worked in various western US cities, including Gallup, NM; Rock Springs, WY; Grand Junction, CO.; and Salt Lake City, Utah. He loved the wide open spaces and learned to pilot a plane during this time. Upon returning to the east coast, John settled in Jacksonville, Florida, where he spent the last 25 years of his life. He taught social studies and geography in middle school and high school until his retirement. Anyone who knew John was amazed at his total recall of historic facts and dates, as well as his knowledge of geography. He was a voracious reader and never tired of learning. John is survived by his sister, Ginger Varner Clifford (Dick) of Chapel Hill, NC; his niece, Susan Clifford (Oswaldo Paz) and their children, Leo and Maya, of Carrboro; his nephew, Marc Clifford (Anne Marie) and their children, Colleen and Ryan of Durham, NC. He is also survived by his sister-in-law, Doris Cope Varner; his niece, Deborah Varner; his nephew, Roy Varner (Dominique), and their children, Grant and Nicholas, all of Houston, Texas; his nephew, Michael Varner, and his daughter, Danielle, of Brooklyn, New York. The family wishes to thank the staff at Lakeside Rehab and Nursing Center in Jacksonville, Florida for their excellent care. In accordance with John’s wishes, there will be a small family service and his ashes will be scattered at sea.