Linda Varney

Linda Varney was born in Gilbert on March 5, 1943. Her parents Tony and Anna Mae (Lowe) Varney met in Virginia while working on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Linda passed away on Friday, October 13, 2023 at Logan Center, Logan, WV. She is survived by her sons Alex and Steve, and four grandchildren.

Linda was the second of seven children. Linda graduated from Gilbert High School in 1960 as co-valedictorian, and Marshall University in 1963. There she met Eul-Soo Pang, an exchange student from South Korea; they married after graduation, lived in California and Brazil, and had two children. After they divorced, Linda lived in Richmond and the Shenandoah Valley (where her mother had grown up) until returning to West Virginia in her final years.

Linda worked as a teacher, factory line supervisor and sales rep. In her fifties, she returned to graduate school and completed an MA in sociology and founded a company specializing in grant-writing for nonprofits and government social service agencies.

Linda was an avid quilter, with a room stocked with a half dozen specialized machines and shelves of supplies; competing fabric crafts took up other surfaces throughout the house. The remaining space was taken up with books, a succession of beloved Shelties, and a rotating assortment of cats.

After being diagnosed with dementia and facing the choice of moving into assisted living, she said, “I’ve lived everywhere. Now I think I should go back to the place I was born.” She found a place at Logan Center, where her Aunt Mary— who had encouraged her academic pursuits and inspired her to be a teacher— had spent her last months, and where she could be near her brother and sister.

To honor her wishes, she was cremated.  A memorial service will be planned for a later date.

Her wonderful smile and gentle heart will be greatly missed by all who were fortunate to have known and loved her.

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