William Varnell Jr.

1929 - 2019

Anchorage, Alaska, resident William Ranson Varnell Jr. died on Saturday, March 23, 2019, at 3:54 p.m.
Bill was born in Detroit, Mich., on Dec. 2, 1929, to Stella Catherine Quillin Varnell and William Ranson Varnell. Bill was a member of the DeMolay, National Honor Society and graduated from Reagan High School in Houston, Texas, in 1947. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in physics from Rice Institute in Houston in 1952. While at Rice, he met Patricia Ann Lyford. They married in Dallas, Texas, on Sept. 6, 1952. They moved to Austin, Texas, where Bill taught mathematics at the University of Texas, while furthering his graduate studies in mathematics and physics. In 1954, the military interrupted his graduate studies when he was drafted into the Army. After six weeks of basic training at Fort Ord, Calif., and the Army Map Service in Washington, D.C., he was reclassified with a scientific and Professional MOS. Bill spent the remainder of his two year tour of duty at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Ala., where he worked in the early phase of the manned space program designing telemetering equipment to measure rocket behavior.
After separation from the Army, Bill joined Schlumberger Well Logging Service in Graham, Texas. He and Pat were transferred to Ventura, Calif., in 1962. Bill opened a location in Santa Maria, Calif., as Engineer in Charge and after six months was promoted to Location Manager in Coalinga, Calif. In 1967, he was transferred to Anchorage, Alaska, as Field Service Manager, then Location Manager. He retired in 1972, as Division Engineer of Schlumberger, in order to remain in Alaska. Pat and Bill became small business owners in 1973, when they opened Suburban Realty and Sea'n Ski Travel in Anchorage. After retirement, Pat and Bill divided their time between Anchorage in the summer and Maui, Hawaii, for the winter months.
Bill enjoyed sailing, skiing, camping and travel. Bill was a long time member of the Petroleum Club of Anchorage.
Bill was preceded in death by his only son, William Ranson Varnell III. He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Patricia Varnell; four grandsons, William Ranson Varnell IV and his wife Elizabeth, Graham Saunders Varnell and his wife Carrie, Blake Winn Varnell and his wife Yuki, and Tyler Whitley Varnell; three great-granddaughters, Esther, Nina and Hana; and three great-grandsons, Quinn, Micah and Josiah.
A viewing will be held at Evergreen Memorial Chapel, 737 E Street in Anchorage, on Sunday, March 31, 2019, from 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. Burial will take place in the summer at the Anchorage Cemetery in the Varnell family plot. Funeral arrangements are being handled by Evergreen Memorial Chapel.