Portrait of Pat Varner. IMB Photo

Patricia Varner, an International Mission Board missionary emeritus who shared the gospel in Taiwan, died Nov. 4, 2025, in Laurens, South Carolina. She was 85.  

Pat was born Oct. 13, 1940, in Charleston, South Carolina, to the late John Mayfield and Gladys Kirby Arthur. She graduated from Chicora High School in Charleston and attended New Orleans (Louisiana) Baptist Theological Seminary.  

On Aug. 8, 1958, Pat married Ken Varner. They moved to Greenville, South Carolina, where Ken finished college, and Pat worked in the office of Piedmont Shirt Company for two years. In August 1960 they moved to New Orleans and enrolled in seminary. Pat worked in the office of New Orleans Public Service, Inc., and Sellers Baptist Home and Adoption Center and attended classes. During this time, they began to sense God’s call to missions. 

After graduation, Ken served as pastor of Mt. Sterling Baptist Church in Alabama for several years, followed by a pastorate in Jacksonboro, South Carolina. 

While seeking missionary appointment Pat wrote, “On October 20 of that year [1960] during a Missions Day service at seminary, Ken and I felt the Lord leading us to dedicate our lives to serving Him on the foreign mission field. This we did and immediately began to make plans to fulfill this commitment.” 

In 1969, the International Mission Board appointed Ken and Pat missionaries to Taiwan.  

She is survived by her husband of 67 years, Ken Varner; her children, Jonathan Varner (Alana), and Nathan Varner (Liesl); and seven grandchildren.  

A funeral service was held Dec. 13 at the Martha Franks Rasor Chapel in Laurens. 

Donations in her memory may be made to the Lottie Moon Offering, IMB, 3806 Monument Avenue, Richmond, VA 23230, or online at Generosity Resource Center – IMB Generosity.  

Read an obituary here.