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Obituary for Mary Lou Varhola
Mary Lou Varhola, age 81, of Caldwell, Ohio, died Thursday, March 15, 2018, at her home. She was born February 26, 1937, in Noble County, daughter of the late Irvil Danford Rayner and Esther Mae Fish Rayner Ginn. She was a 1955 graduate of Belle Valley High School and she took Bible courses through Berean Bible College. Along with her husband, she owned and operated Ernie’s Shell Service Station in Belle Valley for many years. She was also employed by the Lone Elm Restaurant, the K-V Store, Hills, and RCA. She was a volunteer at SE Ohio Regional Medical Center in Cambridge for 25 years, and she operated a prison ministry at the Noble Correctional Center for 10 years. Mary Lou attended the Belle Valley United Methodist Church and its United Methodist Women’s Group, the Byesville Assembly of God, and the Ava Free Methodist Church. She was a dedicated Bible reader and prayer warrior, known for her hospitality. She loved baking and feeding people, mowing her yard, and she enjoyed The Bingo Group at Marianne’s Food Station in Belle Valley. She was a faithful wife, mother, and friend.
In addition to her parents, she is preceded in death by her husband, Ernest Theodore Varhola, whom she married September 21, 1957, and who died September 4, 1982; and two brothers, William H. Rayner and Albert Leroy “Bub” Rayner.
Surviving are her children, Ernie Lee (Cheryl) Varhola and Vicky (Doug) Cross, all of Caldwell, and Gena (Doug) Mitchell of Elizabethtown, Kentucky; two sisters, Judy E. Gibson of Reynoldsburg and Carole Y. Ray of Cumberland; 7 grandchildren; 8 great-grandchildren; and many nieces, nephews, and a host of very special friends.
Friends may call Saturday, March 17, 2018, from 4-8PM and Sunday, March 18th from 12-2PM at McVay-Perkins Funeral Home, 416 East Street, Caldwell, where the funeral service will follow visitation Sunday at 2PM with Pastor Doug Mitchell and Pastor Ken Harper officiating. Burial will follow at Halley’s Ridge Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to the donor’s own church.
