Varnell Gibson Badgett, of Lexington, Virginia, died Friday, February 13, 2015, at Stonewall Jackson Carilion Hospital following a lengthy illness. Varny, as her friends and family affectionately knew her, was born in Knoxville, Tenn., on December 11, 1932, the daughter of Richard King and Elizabeth Gibson and sister of the late Richard King Gibson II.
She grew up in Knoxville where, early on, she attended public schools. Following a year at St. Anne's School in Charlottesville, Va., she transferred to Chatham Hall in Chatham, Va., graduating in 1950.
She subsequently attended both the University of Toronto, where she studied Classical Greek literature, and the University of Tennessee, from which she received a BA in English in 1955.
Varny's passion for reading and learning was surpassed only by her passion for bettering the lives of those around her, especially those in need.
During her early years in Lexington, she attended Robert E. Lee Episcopal Church, where she was the first woman elected to the Vestry. While there, she helped to establish the Breakfast Club, which provided free meals to underprivileged children.
For many years, moreover, she served as a volunteer for the Rockbridge Area Relief Association, and following her conversion to Catholicism, she gave selfless service to St. Patrick's Church. Among much else, she was an active participant in the church's Justice and Peace Social Ministry. Her tireless service to the indigent and impoverished reached beyond the boundaries of Rockbridge County: she fearlessly championed the rights of both the LGBT community and women within the Catholic Church.
Varny is survived by her husband, William, to whom she was married for 61 years; and their four children, Jeffrey Varnell Badgett, of Carrboro, N.C., Anne Elizabeth Badgett Jeffrey, of Staunton, Va., Amanda Badgett, of Napa, Calif., and Frances Badgett, of Bellingham, Wash.
She also leaves three grandchildren, Ruby Jane and William McLennan Harvey and Cora Virginia Cournoyer; as well as a cherished niece, Felicia Gibson Cox, of Gallatin, Tenn.
A Mass of Christian burial celebrating Varny's life will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday, February 19, at Saint Patrick's Catholic Church in Lexington, with a reception to follow. Interment will be private.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions in her memory be made to the Rockbridge Area Relief Association.
Arrangements by Harrison Funeral Home & Crematory, Lexington, VA.
