Heartbreaking News: Celebrating the Life of Varley Paul

 

 

~ Varley S. Paul, 2010

 

Dear Friends,

 

It is with deep sadness that I share the news that our beloved longtime teacher, colleague and friend, Varley Paul, passed away peacefully last evening in the presence of her immediate family.

 

For an extraordinary 40 years, Varley served Plymouth Meeting Friends School with deep devotion. This past June, she celebrated one final milestone, graduating Plymouth's fifth grade class for the first time, after a remarkable career that shaped generations of PMFS students. Her creative spirit, quiet wisdom, and steadfast commitment to her students, their families, and her colleagues have left an indelible mark on countless lives and on the very fabric of our school.

 

Varley began teaching sixth grade at PMFS in 1986, a role she held until 2020. In the years that followed, she continued to serve the community in a variety of ways—as librarian, director of special projects, BtB director, and fifth grade teacher. Known for her gentle presence and deep gratitude, Varley was also a fierce advocate for her students' growth, especially as they prepared for the transition to middle school. She believed deeply that the purpose of a PMFS education was not simply to prepare students academically, but to graduate thoughtful, compassionate leaders.

 

When asked recently to describe PMFS’s strengths, Varley wrote that Plymouth is “one of the most authentic teaching institutions I've seen anywhere. It has the opportunity to fulfill much if not all, of the Quaker vision. It cherishes the child as a person. It is small enough to teach to the future; to send global citizens and leaders into the world."  

 

These words also describe Varley’s work as an educator. She was an authentic teacher who strove to fulfill the school's Quaker mission. She cherished each child as a person and "taught to the future," sending global citizens into the world.

 

Varley was a global citizen in her own right. Prior to her arrival at PMFS, she spent a college semester in Kenya and served for four years in the Peace Corp in Costa Rica as a teacher of their School Gardens Program. She worked seven summers with the Windsor Mountain International Camp and Global Routes, leading community service and cultural programs for teenagers in Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, and helped establish two of their programs in Costa Rica and Ecuador. She participated frequently in National Endowment for the Humanities summer workshop to continue her own learning and enhance her teaching, and she was named a 2016 Master Teacher Fellow by the University of Pennsylvania’s Middle East Center.

 

Varley's family roots at Plymouth run deep. Her mother, Rachel, was herself a devoted and longtime teacher and staff member. Varley and her husband, Jerry, entrusted the school with the education of their own children, Isabel (Class of 2007) and Gordon (Class of 2010), reflecting their enduring faith in the community they loved and helped shape.

 

Beyond the classroom, Varley was an accomplished poet, writer, and artist. Receiving one of her beautifully handmade cards in celebration of a birthday or holiday was always a delight and all her work reflected the same care, beauty, and thoughtfulness. Through her poetry and prose, Varley illuminated the wonder found in everyday moments. I invite you to read her poem "into the day" (written in honor of her mother for Plymouth's 230th anniversary and excerpted above) and her article, "Spring 2021: One year later", published in our 2021 newsletter.

 

One of Varley's memorable classroom lessons centered on the hero's journey—the timeless story of ordinary people who discover courage, persevere through challenges, and return having transformed themselves and others. Though she would never have described herself as a hero, Varley lived that journey every day. Over four decades, the impact of her life rippled outward: in every student who discovered a love of literature because of her, every child who found the confidence to keep trying, every colleague she quietly encouraged, every family she welcomed, and every act of kindness inspired by her example.

 

A hero's journey does not end when the traveler has travelled on. It continues in the lives they have changed. That is the legacy of a life beautifully lived.

 

That is Varley Paul's gift to Plymouth.

 

Plans for a community memorial service are being made and we will let you know the details as soon as they are available.

 

I know that so many of you hold special memories of Varley. I invite you to share them on this Memory Wall that we have created so that our community can celebrate her lasting impact together. Stories, anecdotes, words of gratitude, poems, photos and videos are all welcome.

 

In closing, I invite you to join me and the entire Plymouth Meeting Friends School community in holding Varley's spirit, Jerry, Isabel, and Gordon, and their entire family in the Light.

 

In peace,