Iola Varkonda

Iola "Pat" Templeton Varkonda, 89, of Fort Worth, formerly of Sharon and Hermitage, Pa., died peacefully on Thursday, December 3, 2015, in Fort Worth.
No service is scheduled at this time.
Pat was born on Aug. 15, 1926, in Sharpsville, Pa., to Robert M. Templeton and Lenora Alderman Templeton, the sixth of their twelve children. She graduated from Hickory High School in Hickory, Pa., and was its very first majorette. Pat married Robert C. Harvey in 1949. Her second marriage was to George Varkonda, Jr., in 1964, and they made their home in Pennsylvania. Pat worked as a secretary in the local School District for many years.
Pat was an avid golfer, bridge player, and bingo enthusiast. She especially enjoyed traveling to the West Virginia casinos to play the slots with her sisters and friends. Pat and George also owned a home in Estero, Fla., where they spent winters with family members who also lived there. Pat and George moved to Fort Worth in 2012.
Pat was devoted to her family and friends. She set the example of what a good wife, mother, aunt, grandmother and friend should be. If you needed her, she was there and asking what she could do to help. She made annual visits to Texas to see her family there. She loved the color yellow, pansies, Christmas, crisp white shirts, family visits, and tea!
Pat was preceded in death by her husband, parents, five sisters including Phyllis Evans, Ruth Hughes, Gladys "Skip" Santelli, Esther Boyle and Joan Polkovitch, four brothers including Rye, Charles, Perry and Paul Templeton, and a great-granddaughter named for her, Patricia Jorgensen.
Survivors: Daughters, Pamela Brandenberg and husband, Charles, of Benbrook, and Kimi Haslam and husband, Harry, of Tybee Island, Ga.; son, Kerry Varkonda and wife, Suzanne, of Atlantic Beach, Fla.; sisters, Elinor Smith and Mary Ellen Bennett; adored grandchildren, Luke Brandenberg, Jill Jorgensen, Emilee Baxter, Kathryn Hoffman, Leeanne Edwards, Emma Moresea, and Alex Varkonda; great-grandchildren, Anna Jorgensen, Maja Jorgensen, Ella Baxter, Peyton Baxter, Monroe Moresea, and Everett Edwards; and dozens of dearly loved nieces and nephews.

Winscott Road Funeral Home
Benbrook, 817-249-1177
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