Clifford Roy Varney Obituary (1950 - 2022)

OBITUARY OF CLIFFORD ROY VARNEY Clifford Roy Varney passed away unexpectedly at his home on Wednesday, June 29, 2022. Cliff had been fighting many health issues in recent years but he continued to "fight the good fight" without complaint; so his passing came as a surprise. Cliff was a quiet, unassuming and kind man who was loved and respected by everyone he met. Cliff is survived by his wife of 39 years Janis, his daughter Stacey (Ryan), daughter Lindsay, son Kyle (Sami) in addition to his three grandsons Dylan, Jacob and Cameron, grand pups Minnie and Wellington and his beloved cat Callie. Cliff was born in Ely, Nevada on October 5, 1950 to parents William Clifford Varney and Doris Nollette Varney. In addition to Cliff there was older brother Doug (deceased), sister Cheryl and younger brother Marvin. Cliff was also preceded in death by his first wife Kathleen Sarah Anderson. Cliff graduated from White Pine High School in Ely, Nevada in 1968. He went on to get his Associates degree from Utah Technical College (1970) and then achieved his Bachelor's degree from University of Nevada, Reno in 1975 where he also played football. Cliff had many jobs as a young man doing everything from paving roads in Nevada to working alongside his Dad and Grandfather in the Kennecott Copper Mine. After completing his degrees Cliff joined Lynch Communications in Reno, Nevada beginning his highly successful professional career working in the computer and high-tech industry spanning more than 50 years. After the loss of his first wife Kathy, Cliff and Lindsay moved to the San Francisco Bay Area where he began working for a division of Xerox-- Shugart Associates. It was here at Shugart where he met his wife Janis. After several years, Cliff decided to leave Shugart and became partners with two former co- workers developing multi-layer circuit boards at BSW. This was a very competitive time in this emerging technology and unfortunately they were unable to get ahead of China. Still inspired by brilliant innovators Cliff moved on to work for Nolan Bushnell (the inventor of Pac Man) to build a new computer-controlled robot named Topo. While Topo was innovative at the time it also did not make it out of it's initial development but was always Cliff's favorite. We have one of the first prototypes sitting in our bedroom. Still committed to the land of opportunity in Silicon Valley in the 80's Cliff then moved on to Finial Technologies building the first ever laser turntable. But again this was ahead of it's time andf the technology was deemed too expensive to mass produce. Like Topo, Cliff still has possession of one of the initial prototypes that he was so proud of. After Finial Cliff became the VP for Decibel Technologies where he was charged with developing high-tech custom "in the canal" hearing aids. It was his job at Endosonics developing heart catheter products that resulted in the move from Pleasanton to El Dorado Hills. It was here that he earned a patent in 1999 for a "modular imaging treatment catheter assembly & methodology" and had the opportunity to take part in the first ever catheter surgery in Switzerland. After Endosonics was acquired by another company, Cliff had his first ever "local" job in El Dorado Hills as the VP of Manufacturing for Alpha Research & Technologies from 2002 until he retired in 2015. All throughout his career spending countless hours working he remained completely committed to his family. Cliff coached both Lindsay and Stacey in softball and soccer and then began coaching Kyle in competitive soccer from age 4 through 18. Family camping trips were always an annual event where Cliff would be cooking all of the meals on the prized family griddle. Once retired, Cliff and Janis enjoyed an amazing cruise to Alaska and spent time with family, friends and neighbors in El Dorado Hills, CA. Cliff was always known to be the "court" handyman where everyone knew to go when they needed help or a tool. He also became famous in the court for his Christmas decorations and homemade 5, 10 and 15 foot tall lighted Christmas trees that he designed and erected each year to the delight of everyone. Unfortunately it was in 2017 that Cliff's health issues surfaced with both a diagnosis of Parkinsons and Multiple Myeloma. He was committed to staying healthy and facing treatment and many doctor visits with a smile. But in the end when God decided he needed him and it was a heart event that took him quietly and peacefully. Our hearts are broken but know he is watching over us all.