Bea Varney

Beatrice Emilie Berger was born on a Wednesday, January 16, 1924 in Granite, Colorado to Henry Rudolph Berger and Lois Estelle Rule Berger. Her father was a D&RG Railroad Telegrapher/Agent. From Granite they moved to Malta. Both Granite and Malta were small railroad stops close to Leadville, CO. Malta at the time, was a rail hub that unloaded cargo that transferred to Leadville. When Bea was about 4 they moved to Eagle, CO. In 1929 her brother Robert Elroy Berger was born.

This was a great place to grow up. She could ski and ice skate and in winter. Bike to Glenwood and swim, hike the mountains, camp, go to summer church camp. She played basketball and softball in high school and was cheer leader for two years. She was active in Epworth League and Eagle Methodist Church and taught Sunday School in high school and most all of her life.

She graduated valedictorian of her class in 1942. It was now 5 months into WWII. She joined the Nurse Cadet Corps and entered St. Lukes Hospital School of Nursing. All her life she wanted to be a missionary nurse in Northern Alaska. She was fascinated by the Eskimo tribes. After three straight years with no breaks and vacation time she graduated from St. Lukes in May 1945, took the State Boards and became an RN.

After graduation she went to Gilman, CO to the D&RG Railroad and Empire Zinc Hospital at the invitation of a Doctor she knew. She could ski, too, at the Army Mountain Forces course. Here she met Bill Loving, who worked with his step father in tearing down some Camp Hale buildings. They were married in Sept 1946. They moved to Denver where Bill again worked with his dad in making apartments out of the Army barracks at Fort Logan. Bea started work back at St. Lukes in Labor and Delivery. She worked here for 15 years.

Three children were born in Denver, in St. Luke's Labor and Delivery. Pamela Sue Loving Feb 23, 1948, William Bradford Loving on Oct 13, 1949 and Robert Brian Loving on April 7, 1959.

Bea started work at Denver General Hosp in 1959 in Labor and Delivery, then transferring to Newborn Nursery where the nurses worked to start a Newborn Intensive Care Unit to keep their babies born sick, instead of transferring them to Colorado General or Childrens.

Bea was divorced from Bill in 1969. By then Pam and Brad were in college and Bob was 9. In 1973 Bea married George Varney. At this marriage she gained three more children and their spouses; Larry and Donna, Wayne and Irma and Kay and Charles (Bud). She also gained 9 grandchildren.

George had a travel trailer and boat. They went in the trailer to Yellowstone for their honeymoon. They ended their trip by going to NE as George was raised there. They bought a house on Johnson lake, NE. George retired from Juvenile Hall and Bea retired from DG after working there 20 years, in Sept 1980. They moved to Johnson Lake. There they had the best of winter and summers. Going to Texas, then Arizona for the winters, and staying home on the lake in summer, where the kids came to visit, fish and water ski.

George got very sick in February 1997 in Airzona, going on Dialysis for kidney failure. They had to move back to Denver for George's treatment. He passed away on April 30 1998.

Bea and George were always busy in their church. Both in Nebraska and in Denver. Busy with Eastern Star and El Jebel Shrine. Bea has been president twice of the Shrine Widows and past president of Denver Past Matrons Club. She was Worthy Matron of OES three times and a long time Delegate to the Board of Trustees of the OES-Masonic Retirement Center.

Preceding her in death was her husband George, her mother and father, a brother, Bob -a Navy pilot killed at 23 years old, her first husband, William Loving, a step-daughter Kay Julian, who died of cancer and step-son Larry.

She is survived by her three children; Pam (Steve) Jackson, Brad (Lynn) Loving, Robert (Daileen) Loving, her stepchildren; Donna Varney, Irma Varney, Wayne (Shirley) Varney, and Charles "Buddy" Julian as well as 16 grands Emily Jackson-Hansen, Christopher Jackson, Clancy (Brian) Gill, Kate (Kyle) Osborn, Kelsey Loving, Andrew (Abi) Loving, Julie (Scott) Heiss, Kent (Kelli) Varney, David (Valerie) Varney, Derek (Margaret) Varney, Dustin (Melanie) Varney, Dana (Melissa) Varney, Jim Julian, Jamie (Shannon) Julian, and Dory (Scott) Smith; 25 great grandchildren; Vespera, Hendrik, and Ryker Hansen, Hank and Violet Gill, Tory (Tyler) Yowell, Kristy (Scott "Jr.") Rolloff, Morgan Varney, Lexi (Ian) Forbes, Jordan and Sarah Varney, Ryan and Courtney Varney, Cole (Kristen) Varney, Beau Varney, Nathan and Kayden Varney, Dakota and Dalton Julian, Samantha Julian, Brandon (Jocelyn) Julian, Nikki (Ty) Ford, and Spencer and Emily Smith, and 3 great-great grandchildren; Caden and Skylar Ford, Dempsey Julian and soon to be newborns of Tory and Tyler Yowell and Cole and Kristen Varney.