Betty Varney

Betty Varney (1939 - 2026)

Betty Varney traded her earthly duties to join the angels on Sunday, November 1, 2026, passing away peacefully in Dansville, Michigan, at the age of 87.

Born as the second daughter of nine children on May 8, 1939, to Frederick and Evelyn (Kidder) Burkwalt in Springport, Betty grew up on a dairy farm—which explains her relentless aversion to sitting still and her unmatched tolerance for hard work. After graduating high school, Betty traded driving the tractor for connecting calls as a switchboard operator at Michigan Bell before marrying Wendell Anderson on June 15, 1959, and diving headfirst into motherhood.

When life threw a curveball with Wendell’s untimely illness, Betty did what Betty did best: she rolled up her sleeves and headed to the Kroger store, where she spent the next 30 years stocking shelves, charming customers, and keeping everything in its place until her well-earned retirement.

Following Wendell’s passing in 1988, Betty found love a second time, marrying Robert Varney on March 7, 1992. In doing so, she proudly signed up for bonus duty as a mother to five more adult children, loving them all as her own. If growing with eight siblings on a farm prepared her for anything, it was wrangling a big, bustling family. At Betty’s house there was always room for one more at the table.

Bob and Betty’s retirement life was anything but quiet. They dove into activities at the senior center, UAW, and VFW, and enjoyed snowbirding down in Florida. They also had a unique definition of "relaxing" on weekends. First, Betty and Bob helped sons Michael, David, and Marvin build their houses. Then, in a fun, reverse-uno move, they recruited the boys to help them build their own dream house in Vermontville.

Betty loved to travel, exploring from Maine to California, and all the way from Alaska to Mexico City. But her favorite travel memory was a 1994 trip to Japan—where one son was studying and another son acting as her tour guide, she soaked in every moment—from admiring pearls at Mikimoto Pearl Island to eating dinner beneath a rushing waterfall inside a Shinto shrine.

In later years, Betty found wonderful companionship with daily walks, gardening, card games at the senior center, and more traveling with Gene.
Betty leaves behind a legacy of resilience, relentless energy, an adventurous spirit, and a big family that will miss her enduring love immensely.

Betty is survived by her children David Anderson, Marvin Anderson, Michael (Rebecca) Anderson, Harold Anderson, Robert Varney, Sharon Varney, Ron Stambough, Mark Stambough, Debra Hill, many grandchildren and great grandchildren; siblings Donna Collins, Shirley (Larry) Stimer, Beverly (Randall) Sims, Thomas Burkwalt, Jean (John) Cox, Jane (David) Guisbert and special friend, Gene Thelen.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Frederick and Evelyn Burkwalt, husbands Robert Varney and Wendell Anderson, brother Jim Burkwalt, sister Nancy Fairles and brother-in-law, Tom Fairles and dear friend Mona Rose.

Memorial Service will be held at Skinner Funeral 315 S River St, Eaton Rapids, MI 48827. Visitation at 12:00 noon and memorial at 1:00 PM on Saturday, November 21, 2026
lunch to follow. For those desiring, memorial contributions may be made to the University of Michigan Health-Sparrow Eaton in memory of Betty. To share memories or leave online condolences please visit www.SkinnerFuneralHomes.com