'He was a gentleman': Late Kittery fire chief George D. Varney Jr. mourned by community

KITTERY, Maine — Mourners and local firefighters paid their respects Tuesday to George D. Varney Jr., a longtime Maine resident and ex-chief of the town's fire department who died just after the new year began.

Formerly the chief of the now-defunct Kittery Point Fire Department, Varney was named the first chief of the town fire department upon the merger of the once-separate Kittery Point and Kittery fire departments, a position he held for nearly 25 years.

Following a period of failing health, according to his obituary, Varney was 90 years old at the time of his death Sunday, Jan. 2.

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Current Kittery Fire Department Chief David O’Brien got his foot in the door as a firefighter when Varney was the town’s chief, a role Varney began in 1974.

“There was not a more kind and gentle person or firefighter than he was,” O’Brien said of his old boss.

Born in Rochester, New Hampshire, Dec. 8, 1931, Varney moved to Maine and attended the town’s schools, earning his high school diploma from R.W. Traip Academy of Kittery and then enlisting in the Army to serve in the Korean War.

Obituary: George D. Varney Jr., 1931-2022

Varney married his high school sweetheart, Joan (Fiske) Varney in 1953, his wife of 68 years, and the two settled in Kittery Point, where they raised their family.

Six years later, in 1959, Varney joined the Kittery Point Fire Department, becoming chief five years later. Varney was the Kittery Point fire chief for more than 10 years before the merger of the two departments.

Both incorporated in 1909, a state mandate called for the Kittery Point Fire Department and the Kittery Fire Department to come together as one in 1975.

“He was a gentleman that brought the fire department along from being two departments to being a single department,” O’Brien said.

Aside from his responsibilities as chief, Varney was active in the International Association of Fire Chiefs, serving as both president and director of the organization’s New England division.

His retirement from the fire department came in the late 1990s, leading to Varney’s employment with fire and rescue apparatus manufacturer Pierce Manufacturer for several years. For 35 years, Varney also worked as a terminal manager at Sprague Oil in Newington, New Hampshire.

Officiated by the Rev. Dr. Elizabeth Hoffman, a service for Varney was conducted Tuesday at Eliot’s First Congregational Church. Varney was given military honors, with an American flag draped over his casket and given to his wife. Displayed on a prayer card dispersed at Varney’s service was the “Fireman’s Prayer.”

“When I am called to duty, God, whenever flames may rage, give me the strength to save some life whatever be its age,” reads a portion of the prayer. “Help me to embrace a little child before it’s too late, or some older person from the horror of that fate.”

Eliot Fire Chief Jay Muzeroll, who has been with Eliot’s department for almost 50 years, said Varney would pop over to the Eliot station and share words of wisdom with cub firefighters.

“He was an old-time guy,” Muzeroll said. “We had an awful lot to learn from him.”

In lieu of flowers, donations in Varney’s memory can be made to the Kittery Fire Association at 3 Gorges Road, Kittery, Maine 03904.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Late Kittery fire chief George D. Varney Jr. mourned by community