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WEST FRANKFORT - Bob Varis, 66, departed this life at 12:45 a.m. Wednesday, July 10, 2013, in Herrin Hospital.
Bob was born Aug. 20, 1946, in Herrin, to the late Frank "Bud" and Mary Weatherly Varis.
Bob worked for Old Ben Coal before becoming a professor of electronics at Rend Lake College. Education was very important to him, and he always encouraged students to pursue lifelong learning.
Bob married Betsy Payne Varis in August 1985 and they later purchased Stone Funeral Home in West Frankfort, and renamed it Varis-Stone Funeral Home.
Bob was a member of West Frankfort Masonic Lodge 567, Ainad Shriners, Benton Elks Club and a certified judge for Kansas City Bar-B-Q. Bob enjoyed playing drums with various bands in Southern Illinois.
He was a member of First Baptist Church of West Frankfort.
Bob is survived by his wife, Betsy Payne Varis; stepdaughters, Becky King and husband, Tim, of Benton, Ky., and Amy Wardynski and husband, DJ of Parker, Colo.; son, Rob Varis and wife, Tracey, of Lubbock, Texas; and grandchildren, Madison, Casey and Bo Wardynski, Abby King and Wyatt Varis.
He was preceded in death by his parents and daughter, Crissy Varis.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Monday, July 15, in Varis-Stone Funeral Home in West Frankfort, with the Rev. Mike Cash and Glenn Poshard officiating. Interment will follow in the Masonic and Oddfellows Cemetery in Benton. Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Sunday, July 14, at Varis-Stone Funeral Home.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
4 Entries
I am very saddened to hear that Bob has been called home to be with the Lord. We both actually share the same birthday of August 20th, are Masonic Brothers and both Ainad Shriners. I had only met Bob briefly, but you could tell immediately he was a very kind and caring person. Our prayers are with Betsy and her entire family, during this difficult time.
William McCluney
July 13, 2013
I'm going to take a wild stab at this, but I may have been friends with Bob longer than anyone in WF. HE and I were neighbors when we were 3-4 years old on South Cherry. We played together in the yard. We then played drums in FCHS band, and then rode together to SE ILL College in Harrisburg. I went with him with the Blue Shadows many times, and of late, he was funeral director for my father in 2005. What a great, long time friend. My prayers with family. Ben Murphy
July 12, 2013
Bob was one my best repairman trainees, was a great friend, and was a Masonic brother. I will miss him terribly.
John Mitchell
July 12, 2013
Bob could always make me smile ... I still remember when I conned him into volunteering to play drums for the JCHS musical. The last dress rehearsal rolled around, a few days sooner that we would have liked, and the music director was stressed. After several mishaps on a particular song, Bob turned to me and said (in a very loud voice), "Now we are playing this in F - right?" Nicole stopped the rehearsal and said, "No - it's in C." Bob, drumsticks in hand, replied, "Whew ... glad we got that straight!" All the kids laughed and the rest of the rehearsal went off without a hitch.
He will be missed ...
Holly Kee
July 12, 2013
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Stone Funeral Home - West Frankfort1201 E Poplar St., West Frankfort, IL 62896
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