HOULTON – Alice W. Varney died peacefully June 4, 2007, surrounded by her loving family. She was born May 9, 1917, in Woodstock, New Brunswick. She was the 13th child of Norman and Frances (Long) Wallace. Alice is survived by her daughter, Norma and her husband, Dr. James Michaud, of Gardiner; a sister, Beatrice of Calgary, Alberta, Canada; three grandsons, Bruce Michaud and his wife, Darlene, from Gilroy, Calif., and Ray and Jesse Varney of Houlton; two granddaughters, Brenda Soboleski of Ithaca, N.Y., and Kathy Purington and her husband, William, of Manchester; her daughter-in-law, Evelyn “Tootie” Britton and her husband, Mark, of Houlton; a special nephew, Norman McNeil and his companion, Alfreda, of Nova Scotia, Canada; two great-grandsons, and three great-granddaughters. She was predeceased by her loving husband, Ray, after 56 years of blissful marriage; and two sons “Willie” and Curtis. She was a graduate of Normal School, Fredericton, New Brunswick, with a degree in teaching. She taught in a one-room schoolhouse in Upper Royalton, New Brunswick, grades one through eight. After she and Ray were married, they farmed potatoes in Houlton. She later worked in civil service at the Houlton Air Base during the war. She worked for Sears and JC Penny’s. She was secretary for Houlton Farms Dairy for 18 years. But, the love of her life was teaching at Hodgdon schools until she retired in her 70s. In 2004, the Houlton Town Council made a resolution thanking her for her dedication as an election clerk for the town. She also was a volunteer at Houlton Regional Hospital. She was a devout member of the Military Street Baptist Church and a past Noble Grand of the Rebecca Lodge of Houlton. She loved to golf, bowl and sew, and was awarded several blue ribbons and the best-in-show for her quilts she had entered at the Windsor Fair. The family would like to thank Louise Weston and Michael Carpenter for being there for her; also “Nurse Jane” Zimmerman and Kathy Ledger of Hospice of Aroostook, Gardiner Nursing Home and Dr. Abouleish for their special care. Friends may call 9-10 a.m. Friday, June 8, at Military Street Baptist Church, Houlton, where a funeral service will be held at 10 a.m. with the Rev. Randall Burns officiating. A reception will be held at the church, after the interment at Evergreen Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, those who wish may donate to Hospice of Aroostook, 2 Water St., Houlton, ME 04730. Arrangements by Bowers Funeral Home, Houlton.
ALICE W. VARNEY
