Alvin Varner 8-30-05

Born Oct. 5, 1919, in Del-phos, he was the son of Omer Clay and Nina Stephens Varner. On June 18, 1943, he married Galene Stephens in Diagonal.

Mr. Varner worked for Iowa Southern Utilities for 44 years. He began in 1940 as a lineman in Mount Ayr and then served as district manager for Mount Ayr, Leon and Centerville. He was Eastern district manager in Burlington for 16 years, retiring in 1984.

He was a 1937 graduate of Diagonal High School and attended Creston Community College and Iowa State Teachers College in Cedar Falls. He was a World War II veteran, serving with the Fifth Marine Division as a spotter pilot. He served 51 months, attaining the rank of captain. He made the Iwo Jima landing on D-Day and earned a Distinguished Flying Cross. He was a longtime member of the Methodist Church and Rotary Club and held a number of leadership positions in civic organizations including president of the Leon and Burlington Chamber of Commerce and was a member of the board of directors of Burlington Area Development Corp. Following retirement, he moved to Bella Vista, Ark., and moved to Sun City in 2000.

Survivors include his wife; one daughter, Jeanette Sheffer of Coronado, Calif.; two sons, Carlton of Pasadena, Calif., and Max of Verona, Wis.; five grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents and four brothers.

The graveside service for Mr. Varner will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 10, in Rose Hill Cemetery in Mount Ayr. Following the service, family and friends are invited to Mount Ayr Methodist Church.

Memorials have been established for the donors' favorite charity.

Alvin Levi Varner (1919)