Seaborn Lowrey Varnado lll

Seaborn Lowrey (Larry) Varnado III of Mobile peacefully passed away after a lengthy illness. Mary Lucy Donohue Varnado, his wife of 55 years, survives him. He is also survived by his six children Seaborn Lowrey Varnado IV (Sherry) of Austin, Texas; James Donohue Varnado (Deborah)of Tallahassee, FL; Catherine Lucy Varnado Hart (Matt) of Birmingham, AL; John Clement Vernedeau of Fairhope; Patrick Addison Varnado of Mobile; Charles Milton Varnado (Angela) of Fairhope and eight grandchildren. “Larry” was born in Hammond, Louisiana, the only child of Wilda Addison Varnado and Seaborn Lowrey Varnado II. He graduated from Central High School in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1947. He received a B.A. in English from Millsaps College in Jackson, where he served as the editor of the student newspaper and was an early activist in the civil rights movement. He earned a M.A. in English from Tulane University in New Orleans, and a Ph.D. in English from Fordham University in New York. After serving for two years in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, he returned to the United States to resume a long and honorable teaching career. He taught at the University of South Alabama from 1967-1990, where he was professor emeritus. Prior to teaching at USA, he taught at Western Carolina in Cullowhee, North Carolina, and at Valdosta State College in Valdosta, Georgia. In addition to his teaching career, Larry was a noted writer. He published five books, was a contributing writer to The National Review and the Wanderer, served as editor of The New Oxford Review, and published in numerous other Catholic and popular periodicals. Locally, he was known for his column “Senior Moments” in the Mobile Press Register. While he loved teaching and writing, God and family were the center of his life. Larry was a devout Catholic. He converted to Catholicism as a student at Tulane and was a member of St. Ignatius Catholic Church for 45 years. He served as President of Catholics United for the Faith for many years and was active in the pro-life movement. Larry and Mary Lou were a devoted couple and enjoyed visiting their children and grandchildren. After he retired, he loved meeting, lunching, and reading original works with his “Old Geezer Club.” Larry’s signature sense of humor and his jokes brought his friends and family great joy while reading, walking, and occasionally smoking his pipe brought him great joy. He will be deeply missed. May the perpetual light shine upon him. A Memorial Mass will be held Monday, May 12, 2014, at 10:30 a.m. from St. Ignatius Catholic Church.