Vic Varis:
CLASS OF 1974
Shoreline High SchoolClass of 1974
Seattle, WA
Cleveland High SchoolClass of 2002
Portland, OR
Eastside Christian SchoolClass of 2002
Gresham, OR
Butler Junior High SchoolClass of 1971
Seattle, WA
Highland Terrace Elementary SchoolClass of 1968
Shoreline, WA
Vic's Story
Life- The Short Story (updated June 2023)
Kathy and I retired from university ministry in 2021, moving with our kids' to their organic tropical fruit farm on the Maui north shore.
Previously, we had lived in Portland since 1987, working locally at Portland State University, for a time supervising university ministries in Alaska, Washington, Oregon and northern Idaho, and all that time campus ministry director for Oregon universities,
Kathy and I just celebrated 48 years married. It's amazing how well marrying my "best friend" worked for us! Would love to hear from you...
Longer Version
So some of you may recall that the latter part of my high school years were a somewhat confusing mix of developing a spiritual journey with reconciling them to typical teenage relationships-- both romantic and friend-friends. Admittedly I was essentially a "jerk" that couldn't communicate what was really going on in my heart. I hurt a few folks along the way- something I deeply regret,
I think it all settled out about a year after graduation and I headed solidly down a path with a spiritual commitment that pretty much has ruled my life from that point on. (Also grew to better at the communicating part).
In January 75 I met Kathy, who through all the years has been my best friend, partner, encourager and wife.
After a couple of false starts we did some formal ministry/theology training in a small rural North Dakota undergraduate seminary.
From there I actually was pastor of a small farm community church for a short while, came back to Seattle working for a year before moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan where we went on staff at a church-owned mental health sheltered-house program. We also served as the pastor for young adults.
In 82 we moved to Oregon where we were youth ministers for about 7 years (my work with schizophrenics really prepared me for that!). From that position I started working with students at a local community college in the Portland area. After a couple of years our denomination asked us to become Oregon directors of our national university ministry, Chi Alpha. We continued through our retirement in 2021.
In 92 we moved into a 4 floor, 100 year old house in urban SE Portland near downtown and Portland State University. From that time we constantly shared our home with up to 8 students and young adults from all over the world. I think we've had about 150 people live with us from more than 25 countries. Our final year, during COVID, our little family was from France, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Russia.
Our kids grew up in urban inner city public schools and as a result managed to learn what it means to be much more involved with all kinds of people, concerns and causes, where I grew up so sheltered in our suburban environment. Our house gave ingrained them with a hospitality ethic and international perspective on life.
Over the course of time I finished my masters in education at PSU and about 95% of my doctorate. I was still working on it until 2004 when my dean shared that I had passed the maximum allowed time for completion. It was a sad day, Now instead of "Doctor", you'll have to continue just calling me "Master" (ha-ha, dorky dad joke).
In 97 Kathy (who is an educator) and I started doing HIV/AIDS/STD curriculum training (on top of everything else) for school systems around the world, so since then we've visited 35 countries-- out of the way places mostly like Papua New Guinea and Mongolia.
My Mom and Dad (step dad) passed away in '87 and 2001 respectively. We miss them tons, and I'd felt pretty isolated since then in terms of having immediate family close by-- unfortunately I've not done a good job of staying close to my step-brother and sisters, though I always hold them as an awesome example of what a great family is all about. I'll love them forever.
The thing about that was, I felt like God brought us to Portland. That inner voice said, "I'm moving you to Portland 'for' your family." I interpreted that to mean closer to my Mom, then dying with cancer and have time with my step-dad afterwards,
When my Mom passed, our curiosity about what had happened to my father peaked, I visited the local LDS Family History Center, where I turned up what I thought might be a 1970 California death record for a man that could be my father-- I was uncertain of his nam...Expand for more
e then.
A few weeks later California sent me a copy of his death certificate. By that time we had confirmed his name knowing this was in fact my father!
A Big Reveal. Reading it, we were SHOCKED to see the document had 2 completely different names! --Alexander Raudon Varis; followed by "a.k.a., Benedict Paul Ciurlionis"!
The shock wasn't over. Further down, we saw he had died in Long Beach, California and subsequently was buried at county expense, On the next line, the second shock hit us like bricks...
"Body REMOVAL. Re-Burial, WILLAMETTE NATIONAL CEMETERY, PORTLAND, OREGON"
Instantly, the words came into my mind,
"I'm moving you to Portland, 'for your family'".
I still have chills writing this out again.
My father who was never in my life or even lived anywhere near us, was buried 15 minutes from our house in Portland, at Willamette National Cemetery, under his original Lithuanian name! Isn't that wild?
Apparently, his orders after enlisting into the Army in 1937 at Brooklyn, NY, sent him to serve working at a gun emplacement on Corregedor, Philippines- the "60th Coast Artillery" which we discovered later was originally based near Astoria, Oregon. That gave him the connection to Willamette Cemetery, where the Army shipped his remains.
After years of Freedom of Info Act research we discovered the entire story.
My father was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts in 1907, but a year later my Lithuanian immigrant parents separated and grandmother returned to Lithuania pregnant, with her three kids to raise them alone.
As a a 7-year-old, my father was separated from his mother during the opening bombardments of World War I. A few of the family found him. Together they lived as WW1 refugees wandering throughout eastern europe until he was 11.
Then after eventually returning to the States in 1936, he worked as a merchant marine sailor.
In 1941, his ship landed in Honolulu, December 6th,the day before the Pearl Harbor attack!
Now at war, he was arrested as a possible German agent, spending all of WW2 in enemy alien internment camps- first on Sand Island, Honolulu with Japanese internees, then Crystal City, Texas and finally Bismarck, North Dakota in a camp for German sailors.
All that and more scarred a guy that after the war could never keep a job, or relationship, for the rest of his life..
HOWEVER the bright side-- Eventually we met, reconnecting with the family I never knew about, my cousins from his side, all living in Lithuania.
Where my father was broken man, in contrast my family in Lithuania is loving, encouraging and committed to each other. After meeting them in 1997 we have always been close.
Our travels have allowed us to visit Lithuania and the former Soviet countries quite often, and because my father and grandparents on his side were Lithuanians, I was able to obtain a Lithuanian dual-citizenship which now also allows us to live and work and live in the EU if we ever want to.
The Lithuanian family is pretty well known there-- in fact the brother of my grandfather is a famous artist and composer, MK Ciurlionis (my actual family name-- my father changed it in '54 before I was born). You can Google it if you want.
Fast forward to 2023.
These days of course we're into our grandparenting years which we love. Currently our oldest daughter has 4 sons from 16-10 (as of 2023). My second daughter, 11 years ago, married a singer-songwriter, and, organic farmer/scientist from central California- no kids , but tons of surrogates :-). Our youngest son has been married 13 years and worked as a COO for an internet start-up. They have 2 boys- 6 and 3.
God has blessed us a lot. Kathy and I have been very happy since we married in 1975. Our three kids are very close to us and all have done really well at life and relationships.
I go through periods where I think of you all a lot-- all the friends I used to hang out with. Sometimes I think the year after we graduated that I may have alienated some of you because of my youthful zealousness in my "religious" phase-- If I did, I really apologize for that. Guess I've found a place of balance and acceptance of who I am and who you are. All that to say, I'd love to reconnect some time.
I value relationships more and more as the days go by. Would love to reconnect anytime!
We wish you the best.
--Vic
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