Jennifer Haller

Kay Varner

Musgrove Family Mortuary

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Born March 28, 1925 in Tacoma, Washington, Kay Varner died on September 12, 2025, at the age of 100. She grew up during the Great Depression, attended Stadium High School in Tacoma, then Central Washington State College in Ellensburg, WA, where she met her sweetheart Jerry; they married June 13, 1949. She taught elementary school in Vancouver, WA and was a school librarian in Beaverton, OR. After college graduation, in 1950 Kay and Jerry began their life together in Vancouver, Washington, where they both worked as teachers. In 1964 they moved to Beaverton, Oregon, and worked in education for the Beaverton School District for many more years. In2004, they moved out of their home in Beaverton to Willamette View in Portland, where they lived for one year. To be closer to their daughters, in 2005 they moved to Eugene, OR. Engaging in active life for 20 years at Cascade Manor, they made many friends. Kay loved people; she enjoyed interviewing newcomers at CM and writing articles about them for the newsletter, the Cascade Banner. She and Jerry organized several popular groups, including Music Lovers, Opera and Controversial Issues. In the 1950s through the1990s they belonged to various organizations that demonstrated their interests and causes they supported: the NAACP, Beyond War, Portland Folk music Society, First Congregational United Church of Christ and others. Books, music, education, and art were all important to Kay. Kay was raised in a working class family during the Great Depression; she believed in labor unions, democracy and civil rights as young mother, she was a member of the League of Women Voter sand hosted meetings in her home. She advocated for peace and Kay Varner 3/28/1925 - 9/12/2025 Page 1 of 3Saturday, October 11, 2025justice. She watched the news and subscribed to local newspapers up until the week of her death. Kay loved to sing! Her taste in music was wide-ranging: including blues, jazz, folk, gospel, and opera. In high school and college she was a member of the Glee Club. She sang with other choirs throughout the years, at church and during her residence at Willamette View in Portland. When the jazz band performed at Cascade Manor, she stood onstage to sing with them when she was in her 90’s.She enjoyed folk singing with Portland Folk music Society. When living in Portland, she attended their annual retreat called “Sing time Frolics” on the Columbia Gorge. She and Jerry hosted house concerts at their home in Beaverton. In recent years, she enjoyed PFS’s weekly virtual song circle on Zoom, which began during the Covid pandemic. She joined the song circles at Cascade Manor, and continued to sing with them well into her 100th year. On her 90th, 99th and 100th birthdays, she hosted large circles of friends singing together. These parties can be seen on YouTube. Kay was also an accomplished poet. She honed her craft with other writers in poetry groups at Cascade Manor. A collection of her poetry was published in 2023 and her book, “It All Began on Windom Street," is available on Amazon. Her poetry was often published in the CM newsletter, the Cascade Banner. One special poem of hers was selected to be read aloud every year at the annual celebration of life for Cascade Manor residents who had passed that year. Kay’s love of music and poetry met and joined this past year, when she discovered a new admiration for Bob Dylan. She enjoyed there cent movie, “A Complete Unknown,” which depicted the civil rights Kay Varner 3/28/1925 - 9/12/2025 Page 2 of 3Saturday, October 11, 2025movement, social change, and folk music she had been involved within the 1960’s. She watched YouTube videos of academic presentations of Dylan’s poetry, and preferred to listen to his music when she fell asleep at night. Kay had a curious mind and a lifelong love of learning. She wanted to know everything possible about everything - from history, to word origins to current events. In days before the internet, whenever question arose during discussion, she would jump up and run over to the bookshelves where the World Book Encyclopedia and big dictionary rested in the family room, look up the topic, and read aloud her findings to share with everyone. In later years, she used the computer for research. When the iPhone came along, she begged to have one for the same purpose, and finally got one when she was in her late 90’s.Kay was preceded in death by her husband Jerry in 2022. She is survived by daughters Terry Varner Benge and Jan Gorton ,granddaughter Heather Benge, grandson Justin Gorton, and three great-grandsons. A private celebration of life took place on September18, 2025. She lies at rest at Willamette National Cemetery. May the circle be unbroken.

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Kay Varner Obituary | Altogether