Obituary for William Glen Varnum
Dr. William G. "Bill" Varnum, 85, of Stillwater passed away March 13, 2023. A celebration of life will be held on May 6 from 1-4 p.m. at the Backstage, 110 E. Seventh Ave., Stillwater.
Bill was born in Oklahoma City on May 6, 1937, to Glen M. and Elsie Varnum. Like his ancestors who came to Oklahoma Territory in the land runs and settled on farms near Alva and Amorita, Bill devoted his life to family, education and music.
Bill graduated from Stillwater High School in 1955 and married his high school sweetheart, Judie Kay Daugherty, on June 7, 1958, while pursuing a Bachelor's of Music Education (1959) at Oklahoma State University. As a college student, Bill supported his young, growing family by performing with and later owning the popular Bluenotes dance band.
Bill followed in his father's footsteps as a band director and achieved great musical success with the Stillwater Junior High Band from 1958 to 1964 and the Perry High School band from 1964 to 1967.
He earned a Master of Science degree in 1962 from OSU, and in 1967 took over the family business, Chenoweth and Green Music Co., a downtown Stillwater institution since the 1940s. After many successful years, the store closed in 1989 and Bill returned to OSU for his Doctorate in Educational Administration (1990). He began working for the Department of Education in Honolulu, Hawaii, in 1989 as an accounting operations specialist and later as an assistant principal in public schools on Lanai and Maui.
Bill and Judie enjoyed living in Hawaii for 13 years. They retired in 2003 and for many years divided time between Stillwater and their second home in Buena Vista, Colorado.
Bill's lifelong devotion to the land began early, including a summer spent plowing fields at his grandparents' homestead, and later managing the family farms. Bill was a member of Stillwater's First Christian Church. He loved attending his grandchildren's concerts and athletic events, and he loved to travel.
He is preceded in death by his parents and his grandson, Austin Varnum.
He is survived by his wife Judie; son Michael and wife Janet; daughter Tammy Varnum Baker and husband Greg; son Richard Varnum; son David Varnum and wife, Abby; his grandchildren Ashley Baker Shields and husband David, Sarah Baker Oglesby and husband Nathan, Jared Baker and wife Maddie, Matthew Varnum, Tyler Varnum, Jeremy Varnum, Josh Varnum, Andrew Winn, and Benjamin Varnum; his great-grandchildren Madilynn and Cooper Shields, Carter, Hudson and Graham Oglesby, Sylvie Baker, Kennedy Varnum, and Georgia Varnum. He is also survived by his cousin, Leanita Shelby.
Condolences may be emailed to the family and an online obituary may be viewed by visiting www.strodefh.com
Bill was born in Oklahoma City on May 6, 1937, to Glen M. and Elsie Varnum. Like his ancestors who came to Oklahoma Territory in the land runs and settled on farms near Alva and Amorita, Bill devoted his life to family, education and music.
Bill graduated from Stillwater High School in 1955 and married his high school sweetheart, Judie Kay Daugherty, on June 7, 1958, while pursuing a Bachelor's of Music Education (1959) at Oklahoma State University. As a college student, Bill supported his young, growing family by performing with and later owning the popular Bluenotes dance band.
Bill followed in his father's footsteps as a band director and achieved great musical success with the Stillwater Junior High Band from 1958 to 1964 and the Perry High School band from 1964 to 1967.
He earned a Master of Science degree in 1962 from OSU, and in 1967 took over the family business, Chenoweth and Green Music Co., a downtown Stillwater institution since the 1940s. After many successful years, the store closed in 1989 and Bill returned to OSU for his Doctorate in Educational Administration (1990). He began working for the Department of Education in Honolulu, Hawaii, in 1989 as an accounting operations specialist and later as an assistant principal in public schools on Lanai and Maui.
Bill and Judie enjoyed living in Hawaii for 13 years. They retired in 2003 and for many years divided time between Stillwater and their second home in Buena Vista, Colorado.
Bill's lifelong devotion to the land began early, including a summer spent plowing fields at his grandparents' homestead, and later managing the family farms. Bill was a member of Stillwater's First Christian Church. He loved attending his grandchildren's concerts and athletic events, and he loved to travel.
He is preceded in death by his parents and his grandson, Austin Varnum.
He is survived by his wife Judie; son Michael and wife Janet; daughter Tammy Varnum Baker and husband Greg; son Richard Varnum; son David Varnum and wife, Abby; his grandchildren Ashley Baker Shields and husband David, Sarah Baker Oglesby and husband Nathan, Jared Baker and wife Maddie, Matthew Varnum, Tyler Varnum, Jeremy Varnum, Josh Varnum, Andrew Winn, and Benjamin Varnum; his great-grandchildren Madilynn and Cooper Shields, Carter, Hudson and Graham Oglesby, Sylvie Baker, Kennedy Varnum, and Georgia Varnum. He is also survived by his cousin, Leanita Shelby.
Condolences may be emailed to the family and an online obituary may be viewed by visiting www.strodefh.com