Richard Arnold (Bob) Varty
March 5, 1935 – July 19, 2025

With great joy we announce that our beloved Bob Varty has graduated from a long happy life and is in the loving arms of his Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Bob passed away on July 19, 2025, at the age of 90 after a brief illness of two months. He was surrounded by his loving wife and children. He was thrilled to have all of his posterity with him recently on Canada Day. He said other than the day he married his Sharon, it was the happiest day of his life.
Bob was born at home in Leedale, Alta., on March 5, 1935. He was the eighth of 11 children consisting of six boys and five girls. The Varty family moved to Faraway, Alta., to sawmill in 1940. There, Bob grew up, adored his mother and worked hard with his family. He married his sweetheart Sharon Hamilton in 1967. Rodney Richard came along in 1968 and Sherry Kay in 1971. Bob raised his family on the quarter section next to his father’s home quarter which he purchased in 1970.
After sawmilling and attending high school, Bob worked for Amerada Hess as a wellsite operator for 35 years while also working the farm and raising a family. Many life lessons and happy memories were made on the beloved Varty farm. Friends and family loved to come out, particularly Rodney and Sherry’s friends. Neighbours, including young adults would drop by unannounced to Bob and Sharon’s house for some coffee and a visit or to play cards. In 1995, Bob and Sharon downsized the cattle herd and moved to Rocky to be more involved with their church. Bob still worked the farm up until 2024 when it was sold.
Bob was very active in his community wherever he lived. He organized skating parties, bobsled races, softball teams, and hayrides at his kids’ birthday parties. He loved helping kids catch minnows in the family pond. In Rocky, Bob was very active in his church and, along with his wife, led Vacation Bible at the Big Horn Reserve and assisted with Kids Town. He helped with Prison Ministries in Bowden and loved volunteering at the Rocky Food Bank where he was known as Bible Bob. He also volunteered at Next to New every day for almost 11 years, taking items into the store two or three times a day! He only just retired from that a couple of months ago when he got sick.
Bob absolutely loved children like they were his own, and children loved Bob. They recognized his kindness and naturally flocked to him. Bob was committed to and loved his family most of all, eagerly serving his wife and posterity.
While he enjoyed fishing, golfing, softball, curling, chuckwagon races and his Blue Jays, Stampeders and Flames, his three favourite things were family, faith and church. He was overjoyed to learn that over 2,000 bibles were given away through their donations to The Bible League. Bob enjoyed going on mission trips abroad and travelling. He visited and served in Korea, Philippines, Cuba, Domonica, Bangladesh, Israel, Greece, Peru and the U.S. He always carried a tract in his pocket to share the message of Jesus Christ with whomever he met.
Bob was very good at fixing things and thinking of clever solutions to problems. He passed this gift on to his son who became an engineer. He also loved hard work and passed this gift on to his children. Bob’s integrity was uncompromising. He would never take anything that didn’t belong to him, not even a pen. He believed that if you always told the truth, you wouldn’t have to remember anything. He was quite the green thumb and grew 100-row gardens on the farm, giving most of the produce away. His children loved coming home and shelling garbage bags upon garbage bags full of peas. He also loved photography and flowers, a gift which he passed onto his daughter. His first gift for his wife to be was a handpicked bouquet of roses.
Bob was very frugal with himself but gave generously to others. Once he loaned his car to someone who had broken down on a trip and trusted them to bring it back when they were done, and they did. The Varty home became a second home for many friends of the family.
Bob was a very, very young 90-year-old and looked and acted 75. He could outwork many people younger than himself. This might be attributed to his habit of eating a bowl of porridge every day for breakfast and being active all his life.
Most of all, Bob was a faithful follower of Jesus Christ. If you want to be like Jesus, just be like Bob.
Bob faithfully kept in touch with all his siblings — Jimmy, Bert, Alice, Dorothy, Alva, Billy, Bob, Earl, Donnie, Shirley and Jeannine. He faithfully attended every biannual Varty reunion and organized games for all the kids. He is predeceased by his father Herbert, mother Edna and all his siblings except Jeannine.
Bob is survived by his loving wife, Sharon (nee Hamilton) of Rocky Mountain House, Alta; his two children: Rodney Varty (Dorianne) of Millarville, Alta., and Sherry Simons (Gabriel) of Lincoln, Nebraska; his grandchildren: Jaelynn Pitcher (Carson), Dallin Varty, James Varty, Christina Varty, Mykala Simons, Mariah Simons, Malachi Simons and Maddison Simons; and great-granddaughter Ellie Rose Pitcher.
The Varty family wishes to thank all the wonderful caregivers who helped us take care of our beloved Bob while he was ill. Your gentle kindness is so very appreciated.
Bob’s funeral will be held on July 31, 2025, at 2 p.m. at the Church of The Nazarene, 5340 - 59 Ave., Rocky Mountain House, Alta.
In lieu of donations, do yourself a favour and make Bob proud by dejunking your house and donating your unwanted items to Next to New!
Condolences may be forwarded to www.rockyfuneralhome.ca.
Rocky and Sylvan Lake Funeral Homes and Crematorium, your Golden Rule Funeral Homes, entrusted with the arrangements.