Individual Details
Mary Lillian "Cricket" Varner
(15 Apr 1914 - 8 Sep 1988)
Mary Lillian "Cricket" Varner Houck was the daughter of Dora Plummer and the Reverend James M. Varner. In 1935, she married William Edward Houck. She graduated from High Point College in 1936. She was a home economics teacher and food service director in Burke Co., NC, for 20 years. She worked with the public school system and the NC School for the Deaf. She was active in the Pilot Club of Morganton, and a member of the Methodist Church.
After her husband "Bud" died in 1963, she sent her two children on to college and continued her work as a dietician. She retired in 1974 and fulfilled two dreams: visiting Hawaii and Yorkshire, England.
Cricket had determination tempered by a wonderful sense of humor. When she was diagnosed with lung cancer, she never asked "why me?" but accepted this as one more of life's challenges to be met. She had lost a brother and a sister to cancer and she had no illusions as to what she was in for. Yet her faith was strong and she lived her life right down to the wire. As her final summer faded, she spent her days watching hummingbirds, talking with friends and family, and laughing at the antics of the family budgie Deitmar. She was a kind and loving person who never spoke ill of anyone, and she is sorely missed by family and friends.
Source: Find a Grave
After her husband "Bud" died in 1963, she sent her two children on to college and continued her work as a dietician. She retired in 1974 and fulfilled two dreams: visiting Hawaii and Yorkshire, England.
Cricket had determination tempered by a wonderful sense of humor. When she was diagnosed with lung cancer, she never asked "why me?" but accepted this as one more of life's challenges to be met. She had lost a brother and a sister to cancer and she had no illusions as to what she was in for. Yet her faith was strong and she lived her life right down to the wire. As her final summer faded, she spent her days watching hummingbirds, talking with friends and family, and laughing at the antics of the family budgie Deitmar. She was a kind and loving person who never spoke ill of anyone, and she is sorely missed by family and friends.
Source: Find a Grave
Events
| Birth | 15 Apr 1914 | Randolph County, NC | |||
| Marriage | 9 Nov 1935 | Danville, Va - William Edward "Bud" Houck | |||
| Death | 8 Sep 1988 | Hickory, N.C.(Catawba) | |||
| Burial | Forest Hill Cemetery, Morganton, NC |  |
Families
| Spouse | William Edward "Bud" Houck (1911 - 1963) |
| Father | James Milton Varner (1871 - 1958) |
| Mother | Mary Eldora Plummer (1872 - 1964) |
| Sibling | Frances Varner (1899 - 1997) |
| Sibling | Robert Milton Varner (1900 - 1969) |
| Sibling | Clara Mae Varner (1904 - 1995) |
| Sibling | Dr. John Wesley Varner (1906 - 1992) |
| Sibling | Sally Edna Varner (1909 - 1996) |
| Sibling | Ruby Eldora Varner (1911 - 1977) |
Endnotes
1. photo of grave marker-by Armantia.