Obituary of Susan Anne Varone

Susan Anne Varone of Great Falls passed away peacefully at Benefis Peace Hospice on June 25, 2024, at the age of 58. She was born on March 25, 1966, in Pawtucket, Rhode Island to Richard Varone and Nadia Varone (both now deceased). She was proud of her New England heritage and accent but left to join the Air Force where she served from 1985 to 1989 at various assignments in the U.S. and overseas as a vehicle operator and dispatcher. After leaving the Air Force, she completed her nursing degree at Wayne Community College in North Carolina. She worked for 30 years as a caring and headstrong ICU, ER, and flight nurse at various hospitals including Benefis and the Great Falls Clinic Hospital. Throughout her life she traveled the globe and lived life to the fullest enjoying various hobbies including hiking, camping, kayaking, making smore’s with her grandbabies, and gardening. In 2021, her travels brought her back to Great Falls to join her family and life-long friend, Diane (Edens) Holbein, and daughter, Heather. Besides her parents, she was preceded in death by her niece, Stephanie Carvalho, and stepfather, Rinaldo Conti. She is survived by her son, Colton (Cassandra) Byrnes and granddaughter, Lorelai; and her daughter, Christina (Cole) Shippers, and their three daughters, Emmalynn, Avalynn, and Adelynn; sisters, Kimberley Faria and Connie Machado; brother, Joseph Varone; nieces, Blaze and Vanessa; and nephew, Joseph. A celebration of life will take place at 3:00 p.m. on July 5, 2024, in the Schnider Funeral Home hospitality room in Great Falls. Condolences for the family may be shared online at www.SchniderFuneralHome.com.