Ron Varela

Ron Varela 1954 ~ 2003 Ronald Ray Varela, of Spokane, Washington, died September 13, 2003 of complications following a long illness. Born July 7, 1954 in Ogden, Utah to Ramon and Margaret Varela, Ron grew up in Salt Lake City and graduated from Skyline High School in 1972. He was a Sterling Scholar nominee in languages. He attended the University of Utah, where he worked as copy desk editor and backshop foreman of the Daily Utah Chronicle. He married Scarlett Hepworth in 1980. After Ron graduated with a degree in Linguistics in 1982, they moved to Houston, Texas, where Ron worked as an advertising writer/designer. They moved to Seattle in 1987, where Ron worked as a freelance advertising and marketing agent, and to Spokane in 1989, where Ron became the Director of Publications for the Spokane Club and later acted as Marketing Director for Massage Magazine. Ron completed an MBA at Eastern Washington University in 1994. In 1991, Ron auditioned for an amateur theater production of "Greater Tuna," which launched a career in acting and voice-over work. Ron read books on tape for "Books in Motion," worked at the Spokane Police Academy in role-playing training exercises, made innumerable voice-overs for radio, television and industrial productions and appeared in two feature films. He was urbane, intelligent, witty, whimsical and gifted, and was the beloved friend and colleague of many. His passing leaves a great emptiness. Ron was divorced in 1997. He is survived by his father and mother, his sister and brother-in-law, Mary Ann and Lynn Holladay, of Salt Lake City; his daughter, Izarra Varela, Portland, OR; his son, Joseph Varela, and his former wife, Scarlett Hepworth, Spokane; and his niece, Adrianne Hepworth, Portand, OR. Special thanks to Bobbee Hepworth of Spokane for her role as surrogate mother through Ron's illness. A memorial gathering will be held at the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center, 138 W. Broadway (300 South), Salt Lake City, Saturday, October 4 at 2:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Spokane Civic Theater, 1020 N. Howard, Spokane, WA 99201. Arrangements were made by Heritage Funeral Home and Crematory, Spokane, WA. Published in Deseret News from September 27 to September 28, 2003