Sarah Margaret Varner Closser
Retired nurse loved to travel
Sarah Margaret Varner Closser, 88, of Sycamore, departed this life peacefully Friday, June 7, 2013, surrounded by family, in Donnell House, Washington. She had experienced declining health in the last few months, but prior to that was very active in the pursuits of her many hobbies and family endeavors.
She was the widow of the late Ernest R. “Ernie” Closser Jr., whom she married July 2, 1949, in Waynesburg. He passed away September 3, 1976. Seven children were born to this marriage, all of whom survive, three daughters, Marlys (William) Greenhalgh of Freedom, Wis., Dianne (Glenn) Toothman of Waynesburg and Sarah “Sally” Suzanne (Kevin) Maxwell of Waynesburg; and four sons, Douglas (Debbie) of Waynesburg, Jay (Patricia) of Orange, Mass., Ernest “Bucky” III (Rosemary) of Newtown and Arleigh (Jennifer) of Washington, D.C.
Mrs. Closser was a daughter of the late Arleigh Ray and Lida Smith Varner.
Also surviving are two brothers, Allan Varner of South Bend, Ind., and Donald Varner of Cary, N.C.; two sisters, Christine Varner, who died in infancy, and Ellen Phillips; and 18 grandchildren.
Also deceased are two brothers, Harold and Raymond.
A dedicated student, she won several academic honors including the 8th-grade Greene County Math Award. After graduating from Waynesburg High School in 1942, she went on to receive her nursing degree from Mt. Pleasant Nursing School.
She married a World War II Navy veteran, who was a teacher and a wrestling coach. She raised Angus beef cattle. She preferred merino wool yarn. She canned corn, tomatoes, beans and peaches. She could drive a pickup truck and a tractor and, if need be, deal with the groundhog that was eating the peas. Between 1968 and 1995, at least one of her children was attending a higher educational institution.
Mrs. Closser knew the difference between a half nelson and a half hitch, a halter and some twine, a hoe and scythe and a peck and a bushel. She liked bonfires, cookouts and going for walks at night to look at the stars. She would always say that she never felt so wealthy as on the day when she got a new cord of stacked hardwood firewood to burn in the big stone fireplace in the living room.
A master country cook, for her there wasn’t a recipe that couldn’t use zucchini when it was available in the garden. Her Thanksgiving meals, and the pumpkin and berry pies that followed, were legendary. She made the most out of what she had available in the meat freezer and the garden, leading to the common complaint from some of her children when they saw what was for dinner “Mom, we’re not having steak and corn on the cob again are we?” If you hoped to get to the event on time and her hair wasn’t quite right or the makeup not yet done, well, you might as well sit down and relax because you weren’t going anywhere for a while.
In 1992, she retired from nursing after 20 years of dedicated service and generous love attending to the physical needs and emotional well-being of mothers and newborns in the obstetrics wing of the former Greene County Memorial Hospital. Most of her career, she spent as a night-shift nurse so she could attend her children’s school activities during the day.
In her retirement, she enjoyed trips to family weddings and to visit grandchildren. She loved to travel and see the world; her destinations included Alaska, Europe, Ireland, Hawaii and Australia.
Pictures weren’t the only things she would try to bring home with her, as some of the exotic plants and rocks in her house will attest. She also collected tree saplings from far and wide and replanted and nurtured them on the Sycamore property, deer or no deer. An avid sports fan, she played softball in her youth and then attended decades of wrestling matches, football, baseball, basketball, softball and soccer games to cheer on her children and grandchildren.
She shared her love of reading, cooking, gardening, sewing and knitting with friends and family. She was recognized for the quilts, sweaters, scarves, handbags and hats she made with several blue ribbons from the Greene County Fair over the years.
She will be greatly missed by all who had the pleasure to have known her.
Friends will be received from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. Monday in Milliken and Throckmorton Funeral Home Inc., Daryl L. Throckmorton, owner/director, 197 North Maiden Street, Waynesburg, PA 15370. Additional visitation will be held from 10 to 11 a.m., the time of service, Tuesday, June 11, in First Presbyterian Church, 169 West College Street, Waynesburg, with the Rev. William Sukolsky officiating. Burial will be in Fairall Cemetery, Whiteley Township.
The family suggests memorials be made to Donnell House, in care of Washington Health System Hospice Care, 155 Wilson Avenue, Washington, PA 15301. Information is available at www.milliken-throckmortonfh.com.