Charles Raymond Varley 1920 ~ 2007 Charles Raymond Varley died on November 18, 2007 from causes relating to Parkinson's disease.He was born November 19, 1920 in Salt Lake City, the son of Thomas and Charlotte Griggs Varley. His maternal grandfather, T.C. Griggs, wrote the theme song for the Tabernacle Choir "Gently Raise the Sacred Strain." Ray graduated from East High School where he excelled at football. He graduated from the University of Utah in 1943 with a Bachelor's Degree in Civil Engineering. He was affiliated with Beta Theta Pi social fraternity and was one of seven elected to the Senior Men's Honor Society-Owl and Key. He was Sports Editor for the Daily Chronicle student newspaper. His by-line was Charlie Varley. To this day university classmates sill call him Charlie. Ray served in World War II as a Construction Officer with the 42nd U.S. Naval Construction Battalion in the Philippines, Hawaii and China. After the War he lived in California, 1946-1972. He married Marilyn Ream in 1947, later divorced. He was hired by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as director of volunteers to construct a chapel for the Carmichael Ward in Sacramento. He has held numerous church positions including serving in the High Council. Ray next worked for the State of California as a Construction Estimator and then as Supervising Construction Analyst. Governor Edmond "Pat" Brown selected Ray to be his Department Secretary and later chose him to be the Assistant Director of California's vast Public Works Agency. Ray had a distinguished career in Higher Education. He was Vice-Chancellor Business and Finance at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He then served as Administrative Vice President at the University of Utah. He was also Director of University Relations for Western Washington University. He was a Senior Project Engineer for Ford, Bacon and Davis an engineering firm. After retirement he established a business as an Historical Architectural Consultant and performed surveys for the Utah State Historical Society.
Ray is an accomplished award-winning photographer, a lover of nature and has logged over 2,000 miles rafting the wild rivers of the American West. His writings include an historical novel, biographies of ancestors and religious papers. He has completed a work entitled: CHRIST IN ART THROUGHOUT THE CENTURIES, consisting of 800 slides of Christ as an adult portrayed in various art forms throughout various cultures and time periods, along with a text which reveals political and theological events of the various time periods.
Survived by his eternal wife Helen Van Os Phillips; daughters, Victoria (Jay) Hawkins, Grapevine, TX; and Kristine (Randy) Vest, Colleyville TX. Sons: Douglas C. (Denice), Gillette, WY; David A. (Grace), Grand Junction, CO; Michael S. (SuzAnne), Castle Rock, CO; Alan R. (Maribel), Bedford, TX; Keith T. (Lisa), Bountiful, UT. Stepchildren: Vikki (Marvin) Mills, San Diego, CA; Marc C. (Kelley) Phillips of Anchorage, AK. 23 grandchildren, 16 great grand-children. Ray suggested that in lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Tree Utah, Inc. in Salt Lake City or to a charity of your choice. A funeral service will be held on Saturday, November 24, at 12:00 Noon at the South Cottonwood Stake Center, 1250 East 4800 South (Murray Holladay Rd.) A Viewing will be held prior from 10:00 to 11:45 a.m. at the Stake Center. Interment will be in the Salt Lake City Cemetery. Online condolences at www.larkinmortuary.com
Published in the Deseret News from 11/21/2007 - 11/22/2007.
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