Obituary - Billy Varley

A MINUTE’S silence was observed at a Dewsbury Celtic match in honour of one of the team’s former players.

Spectators, members and players paid their respects to Billy Varley at a recent game against Milford,

Mr Varley 69, was one of 10 brothers who grew up in Dewsbury Moor. He went to St John’s School and then to Victoria School before he started work at BICC as a cable fitter.

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Wife Valerie said: “He was in charge of 11 power stations between Yorkshire, the Humber, Lincolnshire and Lancashire.”

A keen rugby player, Mr Varley was on the team for West Ham Boys during the 1950s before moving to Dewsbury Celtic, until 1969. He played in the Fearnside pub’s Sunday league team until 1974. Mr Varley liked other sports including boxing, but his interests extended to history, in particular Greek mythology. He and Mrs Varley, pictured, moved to Mirfield in 1964 after she took over a hairdresser’s salon in Huddersfield Road. She said her husband was well known through his association with Dewsbury Celtic and Mrs Varley said hundreds of people had packed out the crematorium where his funeral service took place.

She said: “Everybody said how nice, polite and pleasant he always was. He was very well admired amongst the men he had worked with.”

Mr Varley, who died on February 5, leaves Valerie, daughter Amanda, 46, son Lee, 41, and granddaughter Alex, nine.