Captain Wallace A. Varnell

Captain Wallace A. Varnell, 55, of Cleveland, passed away Wednesday, July 8, 2015. He was a farmer and owner of Varnell's Bobcat Service as an excavation contractor. Wallace was a 4th generation owner/operator of the Varnell Farm in south Bradley County. He was the fire captain at the Maroon Branch Station #3 of the Bradley County Fire-Rescue for over 10 years and had served there for 22 years. He was preceded in death by his father, William Maroon Varnell; daughter, Allison LeAnn Varnell; and grandparents, Marvin and Edna Renner and John and Bessie Varnell. Survivors include his mother, Rebecca Renner Varnell of Cleveland; children, Christopher Varnell and fiancé, Chelsea Guinn of Ooltewah and Katie Varnell and fiancé, Daniel Hall of Cleveland; granddaughter, McKenleigh "Mickey" Adams of Cleveland; fiancé, Pamela Taylor and step children, Houston and Scarlett Taylor, all of Cleveland; sister, Kathryn V. England and husband, John of Cleveland; brothers, William R. Varnell and wife, Angie of Chatsworth, GA, Warren E. Varnell and wife, Regina of Cleveland and J. Wayne Varnell of Cleveland; and several nieces and nephews. The funeral will be conducted at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, July 13, 2015 in the chapel of Fike-Randolph & Son Funeral Home with Chaplain William Lamb, Chief Troy Maney and TEMA Deputy Director Dewey Woody officiating. The interment will follow in Mt. Carmel Cemetery with Charles Hannah, David Hannah, Darrell Eckstein, Mike Hall, Terry Cross, Jeff Brown, Steve Eslinger and Jonathan Porter serving as pallbearers. Honorary pallbearers will be Paul Finley, Kenny Eckstein, Wayne Burgess, Danny Kibble, Ricky Barefield and the Bradley County Fire Department. A white dove release ceremony will conclude the service. His family will receive friends from 3:00-9:00 p.m. on Sunday at the funeral home and one hour prior to the service on Monday. The family requests that memorials be made to the Wallace Varnell Memorial Fund, c/o of any Southern Heritage Bank beginning on Tuesday, July 14, 2015 or visit http://www.gofundme.com/z8g536w. We invite you to send a message of condolence and view the Varnell family guestbook at www.fikefh.com.