VARCEY MORRISSEY TROAN

TROAN
VARCEY MORRISSEY
Daughter of a "self-styled soldier of fortune" and a survivor of the ill-famed Armenian genocide, Varcey Morrissey Troan passed away on Sunday, February 26, 2017, at the age of 96. Born on October 31, 1920, in Cork, Ireland, Varcey was an offspring of a World War I romance between Thomas Morrissey, who volunteered for the British Army to "fight the Kaiser" of Germany, and Ruth Chiliangurian, a multi-lingual school teacher whose father was killed in the Armenian genocide. The romance blossomed when "Tommy" was assigned to chauffeur Ruth daily between her home and the British Army base in occupied Constantinople (now Istanbul), where she worked as an interpreter following the 1918 armistice. When the calendar turned to the year 1920, Tommy, beset by recurring bouts of malaria and a knee injury sustained in earlier fighting in Greece, obtained a medical discharge, married Ruth and took her back to his native Ireland. In 1923, Tommy shepherded Ruth, Varcey and younger brother, John, to Nova Scotia where they remained until gaining legal entry into the United States. They arrived in Crafton in 1926, in time for Varcey to enter St. Philip's School. She graduated with honors from Crafton High School in 1937 (at age 16) and was offered a scholarship to Pennsylvania College for Women (now Chatham University). However, this was in the midst of the Great Depression and the Morrissey family, then numbering five, was in need of additional income, so Varcey went job shopping instead. She was hired as a clerk by the Pittsburgh Press Editorial Promotion Department, checking thousands of entries in a popular weekly football contest. Meanwhile, she enrolled as a part-time student at the Business Training College, (progenitor of Point Park University). There, she honed the skills that led to her promotion as Executive Secretary to the legendary Editor E. T. Leech. In 1943, she married Press reporter John Troan while he was awaiting a World War II call to Navy duty. When John returned after the war, Varcey "retired" from the Press to become a full-time homemaker and part-time volunteer for the Civic Light Opera, Pittsburgh Symphony, Pittsburgh Opera, Pittsburgh Ballet, Center for Theatre Arts and Magee Hospital. Upon assuming the presidency of a moribund Travelers Aid Society in 1976, she professionalized its management, expanded its volunteer corps, established its fiscal integrity and ensured its readmittance to the United Way agencies. Varcey is survived by her loving husband of 73 years, John (retired Editor of the Pittsburgh Press); daughter, Judy (Robert) Gelman of Peters Township; daughter, Mary Lou (Douglas) Satterfield of Mt. Lebanon; son, Geoffrey (Amy) Troan of Altamonte Springs, FL; as well as 11 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. She was also predeceased by a son, Larry (survived by wife Lesley) Troan of Raleigh, NC. Family and friends are welcome to a Mass of Christian Burial in Saint Bernard Church, Thursday morning at 10 o'clock. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Bernard's Angel Fund, 311 Washington Rd., Pittsburgh, PA 15216 or the Baptist Homes Foundation, 489 Castle Shannon Blvd., Pittsburgh, PA 15234. LAUGHLIN MEMORIAL CHAPEL.
laughlinfuneralhome.com