Michael Erwin Varrassi

Mike Varrassi, our longtime friend and mentor, passed away on February 2, 2017 due to complications of a heart transplant surgery. He was born in 1951 in Holden in Logan County, West Virginia to Pat and Jeanne (nee Estep) Varrassi. Shortly after his birth they moved to Cincinnati and he was reared in Montgomery, Ohio. Mike met his first and only love, Vonne Young, in elementary school and began dating when they were in high school. After graduating from Sycamore High School, he received his BS degree in Physics from Miami University of Ohio. After college, Mike and Vonne married and began a 43 year long love song during which they were blessed with three sons. Mike began his career in engineering at General Electric in Cincinnati, Ohio. Soon after, Michael accepted a promotional position in Information Technology with General Electric and relocated to Atlanta. Climbing the corporate ladder with several Fortune 500 companies, relocated with his family to other cities including Phoenix with Honeywell, and Memphis with Federal Express where he travelled internationally for Telecom Standards meetings. Finally, MCI brought Mike to McKinney, Texas where he was still employed in IT work for his latest customer, AT&T, at the time of his passing. Pursuing a life- long calling into the ministry, Michael was sponsored by First United Methodist Church of McKinney to enroll in SMU where he received his Master of Divinity degree. He was then sent off and appointed as a pastor for the Chambersville-Cottage Hill charge for ten years. As a retired pastor he was still attending Anna UMC in Anna, TX where he mentored many people bringing joy to their hearts and wisdom to their lives. Mike had many interests including planes, trains, and muscle cars. During his stay in Atlanta, he got his pilot license and instrument rating. He really enjoyed flying out of Stone Mountain airport with the challenging runway and wind currents. His childhood passion though was trains. He and his family enjoyed steam train trips from Atlanta to Chattanooga and Macon. Last, but not least, he really enjoyed driving his 2015 Ford Mustang GT. This car brought him many jokes and comradery with other sports car drivers and fans! Mike had a very positive, outgoing personality and really enjoyed being with people. In January, 2016 he had a heart attack which he viewed as a wake-up call and every day after as a gift from God. This last year was amazing as he really seemed to blossom with life. He made many friends and will truly be missed! He felt special thanks to his family, his Anna UMC family, friends, his doctors and Baylor Heart Transplant “Keep Mike Alive” team. Mike was survived by his wife Vonne and by their three sons and their families: Patrick, his wife Amber and children Aurora and Giovanni; Anthony, his wife Anita and children Ailey and William; and third son Michael Jr.. Mike is also survived by his sister Patti Varrassi, her husband Bill and son Christopher Brenneman. Mike was preceded in death by his parents, Pat and Jeanne Varrassi of Cincinnati. A memorial/celebration service will be held at Anna United Methodist Church, Anna, TX on February 12 at 2:00pm. Visitation / refreshments at 1:00pm. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Anna UMC, 100 W. 2nd St., Anna, TX 75409.