Evelyn Catherine (Wetherell) Varner

Eveyln Catherine Varner (Wetherell), a woman of boundless ambition and spirit, passed away peacefully on February 22, 2025 at a remarkable 103 years of age.

Born March 5, 1921, Eveyln wanted to be a movie star when she grew up, but instead lived a long life filled with adventure. She spent her early years earning an education (history was her favorite subject) and helping her family in the fields, garden, and home. She learned how to cook by watching her grandma, which is where her iconic Chicken and Noodles recipe stemmed. Known as "Aunt Mudge" to an enormous number of nieces and nephews, her noodles were a favorite at Varner Family Reunions.  For her 16th birthday her family sacrificed and saved to give her a piano, described by Eveyln as her "most exciting" present. Later in life she picked up the fiddle and would play for friends too. An artist at heart, Evelyn also had a talent for painting, and her artwork reflected her deep appreciation for the natural world.  Evelyn's jewelry box was always adorned with turquoise, a symbol of her respect and admiration for the Indigenous Americans.

After graduating high school, Eveyln went to secretarial school where she learned shorthand. This was a skill which would help her through various jobs ultimately culminating in retirement from the Dow Chemical Co.

In June of 1942 she married "the boy next door," Leo Chester Varner. They had grown up neighbors in Homer Township and would court on weekends and through notes as both worked opposite shifts at Dow. Leo was drafted in 1943, and the always adventurous Evelyn followed him around the U.S. to various bases until he had orders to ship out to Europe in September 1944. She came back to Midland and had their first child a month later. After returning home from World War II, Leo and Eveyln would buy a farm in Larkin Township and raise 7 more children, 4 shy of her goal of a dozen.

Eveyln lived a life filled with curiosity and full of adventure. She traveled extensively, whether it was foraging for mushrooms or picking huckleberries in the woods behind her house, road tripping by herself after retirement to Alaska, or chaperoning a school trip to Europe with her granddaughter. You could count on her driving her motorhome across the country to be a snowbird in Arizona after spending her summers at her "igloo" dome-style house in Manton, Michigan (the site of many family parties) after retirement.

Eveyln is survived by her six remaining children:  Neil (Lana) Varner, Cheryl McCormick, Toby (JoAnn) Varner, Alice (Jerry) Sopher, Leila (Pat) Perkins, and Jerry (Kristi) Varner, as well as 15 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren. Preceding her in death were her husbands, Leo, and Floyd Newland (her 2nd marriage), and sons Ray and Phillip.

A celebration of her life will be held at a later date for the family to attend.

Evelyn often joked that she would live past 100, and true to her spirit, she did just that. Her life was a blessing, and she will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved her.

Arrangements are under the care of Wilson MILLER Funeral Home. Personal messages of condolence maybe offered to the family at www.wilson-miller.com