Dr. Joseph Edwin Varner Jr. died peacefully at home Wednesday, Oct. 2, 11 days short of his 85th birthday. For the past several years, Dr. Varner had been living with PSP, progressive supranuclear palsy, a rare and chronic neurodegenerative disease. A private family interment will be followed by a Celebration of Life at 3:30 p.m. at the Hattiesburg Country Club Wednesday, Oct. 16.

Born in Vicksburg Oct. 13, 1939, Joe Ed was the son of Joseph Edwin Varner Sr. and Catherine Whatley Varner. Upon graduation from Carr Central High School in 1957, Joe Ed attended Millsaps College, joined Kappa Alpha Order and was chosen model pledge. During his Millsaps years, he also met his future bride, Miss Betty Lynn Jones from Hollandale. Joe Ed and Betty Lynn were married for 63 years.

After graduation from Millsaps in 1961, Joe Ed pursued his Doctor of Medicine degree at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, where he was selected as an inductee of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society, which recognizes individuals exemplifying the highest ideals in the profession of medicine. Dr. Varner completed a post graduate year of internal medicine, internship followed by a residency in general surgery. In his final year of residency, Dr. Varner served as chief administrative resident for the Department of Surgery at the University Medical Center, and became a diplomate of the American Board of Surgery in 1973.

In 1971, Dr. and Mrs. Varner moved to Hattiesburg and joined Dr. J.P Culpepper III, and later Dr. Lewis E. “Hudi” Hatten, in what became the General Surgery Clinic of Hattiesburg. During his medical career, Dr. Varner served as chief of staff at Methodist Hospital (now Merit Health) in 1979, chairman of the Department of Surgery at Forrest General Hospital and Methodist Hospital from 1981 to 1982, as well as president of the Surgery Clinic of Hattiesburg from 1975 to 1976 and 1989 to 1990. Later in his career, Dr. Varner was also the director of the Wound Care Clinic.

Dr. Varner served in the Mississippi National Guard Medical Corps from 1967 to 1973, attaining the rank of captain. Joe Ed was also instrumentally involved in the community of Hattiesburg. He was a member of the board of directors for Hattiesburg Country Club and Wesley Manor. Joe Ed and Betty Lynn are longtime members of Main Street Methodist Church, where Joe Ed served on the board from 1980 to 1986. Those close to Dr. Varner will not be surprised that he was not only a founding member of Hattiesburg Ducks Unlimited, but was also chairman from 1974 to 1975.

Dr. Varner’s expertise and experience as a skilled surgeon preceded him. His decades-long practice established him as a pillar of the medical community of Hattiesburg, widely respected and valued, but not only for his medical prowess. Dr. Varner, as colleagues and patients alike can attest, was a man of playful humor, mischievous wit, and unapologetic honesty. His manner was at once teasing, candid, and comforting. Simply, his patients loved him.

When Joe Ed was away from his medical practice, he was engaged and accomplished in the southern sportsman’s triad: hunting, fishing, and playing golf. A man of all “seasons”: deer, duck, dove, and turkey, Joe Ed was a founding member of the Dixie Brake Hunting Club in 1976, and later became a member of Random Shot Hunting Club. Joe Ed and Betty Lynn, his favorite fishing partner, would often retreat to the fishing camp and fill the boat with speckled trout, redfish and flounder with their children and later, as “Paw Paw”, with their grandchildren. He also relished the late-afternoon conversations at the Hattiesburg Country Club with his golf buddies, “The Veranda Guys.”

A loyal Ole Miss fan, Joe Ed loved gathering in The Grove with family and friends and cheering for his Rebels, as well as supporting the Golden Eagles at home. An avid scholar of not only the outdoors, Dr. Varner’s bookcases were filled with books on centuries of military history. While he studied under Dr. James D. Hardy, Joe Ed and Betty Lynn became close to the other resident couples who later traveled together extensively as “The Hardy Party,” including trips to Normandy and other destinations.

Dr. Varner was preceded in death by his parents, Joe and Catherine, and by his daughter, Catherine Bolynn. He is survived by his wife, Betty Lynn; his children, Joseph Edwin Varner III (Michelle), Thad Whatley Varner (Kate), both of Jackson, and Leigh Varner Barrett (Jonathan) of Ridgeland; his seven grandchildren, Ashley Crews (Tripp), Dr. Will Varner (Amber), both of Memphis, Thad Varner of Austin, Win Varner of Dallas, Jack Varner of Jackson, and Nathan and Anderson Barrett of Ridgeland. Joe Ed is also survived by his brother, John Mack Varner (Penny), of Vicksburg; his sister, Kay Varner Hobson, of Vicksburg; his sister-in-law, Jean Bundy (Tommy); and many nieces and nephews. On September 22, Joe Ed, Betty Lynn, and all the Varner family were overjoyed by the birth of their first great-grandchild, John Thomas Crews IV.

The family wishes to express deep gratitude to the loving and kind caregivers who have been with them, including Stephanie Gardner, Kim Hogan and Shakina Minor, as well as Germaine Poiest and Amy Walker from Inhabit Hospice. In lieu of flowers, Joe Ed’s life may be honored by donations to Main Street United Methodist Church at P.O. Box 1009, Hattiesburg, MS. 39403, or a charity of your choice.