I have worked with Joe for over 20 years at Protective. 
 
People who knew Joe both respected and appreciated him. 
To me, he was a "gentle giant" who invested so much of his time and efforts into his work, his friendships, and his hobbies.  

I am going to miss all of our conversations (they were the best!), our birthday lunches/dinners and all of the times he made me laugh.  

He was an incredible friend and I feel blessed to have known him. 

Crystal Westbrook



I first met Joe back in the mid ‘80s when I joined the LifeComm IT team as the Valuation team leader and he sat just a couple weeks of desks away on the Cycle team. From the very first, I knew of his incredible intelligence and drive to thoroughly understand both the system he was assigned to and the business aspects and requirements necessary to make Protective as efficient and user friendly as possible. His commitment to the overall success of our employer was obvious to all. 
     Through the years he became as much a friend as a valued coworker. I have so many fond memories of his creativity in celebrating our friends’ birthdays and even hanging out of a helicopter to photograph a company wide employee formation of the then Protective logo of a ‘P’ on the lawn to celebrate our former CEO’s birthday. 
      He became a valued friend of my family (which then included a Protective actuary) and even photographed my parents’ 40th wedding anniversary which was enjoyed just prior to my Mom’s death from cancer. Those pictures are extremely valuable to me and my entire family. 
       A short time ago my youngest son was exceedingly blessed to be a Summer Intern assigned to the LifeComm Cycle team which allowed him to be mentored by Joe and this team. He also developed his own friendship with Joe and made this Mom very proud. His internship led to full time employment and my son has learned immensely from Joe professionally and work ethics.  My older son also was trained by that team and benefited greatly from Joe’s assistance during his tenure at Protective. 
       I cannot imagine a world without Joe in it but I am deeply grateful to have been in the world with him.  My prayers and condolences to the many people he touched including our Protective family, his brother Warren and his family. 
       RIP free from the ravages of this world’s pains and suffering, my dear forever friend, Joe. 
        Always, Jeannie Peeples Branham

My condolences to the family and friends of this truly amazing man. Joe was my friend, as he was with so many other lucky people. I always enjoyed working with him on different work tasks and was especially intrigued with all the off topic discussions and stories that Joe shared. He had this way of just working himself into your heart.  He will be missed sorely and be in our memories forever. 

I worked with Joe for 30 years.  He worked harder than anyone I know, but he also liked to have fun.   He was kid at heart, he would find the most unusual toys and bring them to work to be goofy and make people laugh.  He was one of the most intelligent people I’ve ever known.  He loved to solve problems and puzzles, the more difficult they were the more enjoyed them.   He was also a voracious reader.  There were very few subjects he didn’t know something about.    It was fun to talk to him.  If you ever had conversation with him, it would take many turns and could be on 10 different subjects.   I learned a lot from him over the years!   

You left us too soon Joe!  You will be greatly missed!


From all the memories shared here, it is obvious that Joe was special to many people.  As others have said, he was interesting, kind, had a great sense of humor, was easy to work with, always willing to help, and was indeed brilliant.  Several mentioned his talent for photography.  My family’s photo albums contain some wonderful portraits taken by Joe. He had a real gift for it!  He had many other interests, and especially the system we all supported.   Joe frequently stayed late, “exploring” the system just for fun, and he ended up having a wealth of knowledge that was put to good use and appreciated by all of us.  He was the “go to” person for just about any question or need, and made my job as a manager easier in many ways.  He was also a friend.  I will never forget the day that we came out of a team meeting that was particularly difficult for me, and I looked at him and said “I really need a hug” and he reached out and gave me a big, comforting hug.  That meant so much.  Joe will be greatly missed by his Protective “family” and friends.  He is a big part of my Protective memories, and it saddens me to know that he is no longer there.
Sincere condolences to Warren and family, and to all of Joe's friends.

So sad to hear this news. I worked with Joe for many years at Protective. He was always so nice, and had such a great sense of humor.  He was a wonderful developer, and was so talented in many ways. He loved photography and his cars! 

My condolences to the family. I know that they will miss him terribly. 

RIP Joe. You will be missed. 

I had immense respect for Joe professionally.
I did not know him outside Protective.  
Many of us did.
He was lauded as family by several folks at our Teams remembrance.
The stories he told and the story he lived were rich indeed.
He shared some of that with me over the years.
I rank him with the likes of Robin Williams and Isaac Asimov, certainly equal, if maybe not as famous.
Our culture and society tend to embrace those of sublime understanding and knowledge in awkward ways.
I believe that was the case with Joe.
At those points where we were awkward, Joe was graceful.
His was a comforting soul and he could really make you laugh.



I only worked with Joe in person for a short time before we all began to work from home due to COVID-19 pandemic. It didn't take long after meeting Joe to see he was a walking fountain of knowledge. He regularly encouraged  group lunch outings and I always rode with Joe. The stories he would tell often left me in amazement. Getting back to those lunches and his stories was something I was looking forward to upon returning to the office. It takes a special man to leave that much of an impression on someone in such a short period of time.  GOD bless you Joe, you will be missed.

Although I only worked in the office with Joe for two months before the COVID shutdown, I feel the pain of his loss.  It was Joe that made me feel the most comfortable coming out of retirement and joining our work team.  It was Joe that kept us excited about our lunch outings, and he frequently welcomed me as a passenger in his car for the trips.  It was a joy and a privilege to have met, worked, and spent time with Joe.

REST IN PARADISE, JOE!

Smart, kind, creative, funny are only a few of Joe's many great attributes. He made me laugh in my darkest moments and on my best days. A treasured person we will all miss.

It was a great experience to work with someone who was so brilliant, so insightful and funny and real, to boot.

I am grateful for our years working together.
I learned and laughed.  Perfect!

Words simply cannot express how impactful Joe was to my life, and so many others at Protective.  He was one of the most amazing human beings I have ever met.
We have been sharing stories and photos internally.  He spent so much time engaging with meaning with so many of us.  It was truly a blessing to have known him.    

Joe was the most knowledgeable and helpful developer I've had the pleasure of working with at Protective.  He would say he was probably telling me more than I wanted to know, but it was always interesting to hear the history or stories that led to solutions he explained.  I'll miss working with him and his pleasant personality. If Joe didn't know the answer, he would find out!

Sending condolences and prayers of comfort to the Varden family.  I worked with Joe for many years while I was doing contract work with Protective Life.  He was always a happy, extremely smart and caring person.  Our companies enjoyed many travels together across the US for various client meetings and events. Joe will be missed! May your hearts be filled with joyful memories and his love always!  Dee Watkins. 

I work with Joe at Protective.  He was always so helpful during my time on the Service Desk.    When my oldest son, Heath was 3 (2000), Joe took pictures of him.   At Joe's request, he took one of me with him also.  It will always be one of my favorite pictures of the two of us.  

I pray God comforts you as only He can.
Kim Phillips

OBITUARY

Joe David Varden

August 15, 1959 – September 14, 2021

Ridout's Gardendale Chapel

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