Powell TOWNSHIP ––- Dana Vane Varvil, 91, of County Road 550, Powell Township, entered into eternal life Friday evening, July 13, 2007, at his home. He had been in ill health for the past year.
Dana was born December 22, 1915 in Effingham, Illinois, a son of George Granvil and Sylvia Dell (Buckmaster) Varvil. The Varvil family moved to Stephenson in 1917, and a few years later to the Iron Mountain-Kingsford area where Dana was raised and attended school. In 1941 he enlisted in the army and was stationed at Fort Sheridan, Illinois, with an anti aircraft battalion. Following Pearl Harbor, he was sent for additional training, and was eventually sent to Tucson, Arizona to train on the B-24 bomber. Shortly thereafter he was made 1st pilot and assigned a crew. They were sent to Alamogordo, New Mexico to join the 450th bomb group. After completing their training, the crew was sent overseas where they bombed targets in Italy, Germany, Austria, and Romania. On April 24, 1944, while on a bombing mission, their B-24 was shot down over Romania. Dana and his crew were POW’s for four months until August 23, 1944 when the Romanians capitulated and they were set free. Dana was credited with 32 missions, attained the rank of First Lieutenant, and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. He returned to the United States and was sent to Romulus to ferry B-24’s out of Willow Run until the war with Germany was over. In 1945 he put in a bid for the surplus gliders at the Ford plant in Iron Mountain and began selling them for parts or to be used as camps in the Marquette area. He started a small cabinet shop which he eventually turned into Varvil Lumber Company. In 1946, he married the former Fern O’Donnell and together the couple established their home and raised two children, Candee and Dana, in the Marquette area. Again, making use of his entrepreneurial skills, Dana launched into real estate development. The first development was on Westwood Road and known as the Varvil Addition. In the late 1950’s, he started selling real estate and building homes in Chocolay Township. He went on to develop Dana Lane, named after himself and his son; Candee Lane, after daughter, Candee; Fernwood, after wife, Fern; and Jennifer Lane, after his first granddaughter. His last development was Autumn Trail and part of Wintergreen. Following retirement, Dana enjoyed spending time with his family. Always the avid outdoorsman, he thoroughly enjoyed being in nature and taking in all it had to offer. He possessed a great love of hunting, fishing, forestry, and gardening. Every morning he would venture into the woods to inspect, study, and reflect on the surroundings. He never tired of the trees or the lake. Dana was a life member of Marquette Elks Lodge #405 B.P.O.E. and served on the board of directors of Range Bank. Each year, he attended the Romanian POW convention where he would get together with former crew members and share “war stories”.
Dana is survived by his wife, Ellen (Bennett) Varvil of Marquette; daughter, Candace Varvil of Marquette; son, Dana (Shelley) Varvil of Powell Township; granddaughters, Jennifer (Daniel) Nelson, Brooke (Brad) Knaus, and Abby Varvil; great-grandchildren, Rena and Ellie Swick; his sister, Bethel Samson of Iron Mountain; brother, Howard (Harriet) Varvil of Escanaba; sister-in-law, Lorraine Varvil of Marquette; and many nieces and nephews. In addition to his parents, Dana was preceded in death by his first wife, Fern (O’Donnell) Varvil; daughter-in-law, Rena Varvil; sisters, Irene Baldinelli and Violet Perket; and brothers, Floyd and Lowell Varvil.
Friends may call at the Fassbender Funeral Home on Tuesday, July 17, beginning at 12:00 noon. A prayer service will conclude visitation at 2:00 pm Tuesday afternoon led by Sister Colleen Sweeting, OSF. Entombment will be made in the Holy Cross Cemetery Mausoleum. Honorary pallbearers will be Howard Varvil, Wayne Varvil, Robert Baldinelli, Jerry Weigold, and Vincent Sinervo.