Helen (Pacey) Varney

Helen (Pacey) Varney, 79, died peacefully Oct. 3, 2013, at the Anchorage Pioneer’s Home.

A celebration of life was Oct. 10 at Faith Bible Fellowship in Big Lake with burial service following at Kashwitna Cemetery, Mile 75.5, Parks Highway.

Helen was born on May 28, 1934, in Shawnee, Okla., to James Kelly and Ada (Kimberlin) Malone.

She lived most of her childhood in Peoria, Ariz. Helen was about 4 years old when she insisted on being called Pacey and her whole life her family and friends called her by that nickname.

Sept. 2, 1950, Helen married Dale R. Varney in Glendale, Ariz. Dale was drafted into the U.S. Army and was sent overseas to the Korean War only six weeks after they were married. He did a 13-month tour and was awarded medals for bravery. Helen worked in a butcher shop and a bakery. Their first child, Pat, was born in March 1956 and having the adventuresome spirit, they decided to homestead in Alaska. In 1959, they drove the Alaska Highway with all their belongings to Anchorage and then loaded their truck on the train to a 160-acre parcel of land near Goose Creek, just south of Talkeetna. They lived in a wall tent while they built a log cabin. They had neither running water or electricity and lived off the land for more than four years. During that time, their daughter Dala was born in 1960, and daughter Kelley was born in 1963. Their log house burned in 1964 and they followed Dale while he worked road construction in Alaska. In 1967, they settled on Hatcher Pass Road in Willow.

Helen was involved in the Willow community with many organizations. She was in PTA, volunteering at the school and then worked as a teacher’s aide in special education for 13 years in the Mat-Su Borough School District. She loved feeding all the teenage friends of her children and loved being around people. She was vibrant, active, very social and worked extremely hard caring for her family. Some of her hobbies included a bowling league in Wasilla with friends after her children were grown. She never liked any crafts, but loved playing games like Scrabble and cards. She enjoyed crossword puzzles and was an avid reader. She loved to listen to music and she knew every church hymn up until the day she passed. Vanilla ice cream was her favorite snack! Helen’s eyes would light up when her great-grandchildren would walk in the door.

In 2002, her husband, Dale, passed away from lung cancer, and Helen was also diagnosed with Alzheimer’s along with many other illnesses, including emphysema. All of Helen’s children and grandchildren live in Alaska, with the exception of a grandson, James, in Arizona.

Preceding her in death was her husband, Dale Varney; parents, Kelly and Ada Malone; and brothers, Gene Malone and Jimmy Malone.

Surviving are her children, Patrick Varney, Dala and Mike Conner, Kelley and Randy Poppert, and Ted and Debbie Norris; grandchildren, James Varney, Matthew and Mistie Varney, Luke and Rachel Conner, Colton and Alyssa Conner, Kyle and Molly Conner, Monte and Mandi Crawford, and Paul and Angel Norris; great-grandchildren, Kimber, Colt and Cooper Conner, Dale and Sierra Varney, and Brylee Conner; sister, Margenia and Floyd Wicker; and brother, Chester and Wilma Malone.

Memorial donations in remembrance of Helen Varney may be sent to Alzheimer’s Resource of Alaska, 1750 Abbott Road, Anchorage, AK 99507.

Arrangements cared for by Valley Funeral Home and Crematory.