Dear Editor: With the passing of Roy Varner, Newton County has truly lost a giant. As a Water Production employee I may be slightly biased, but I feel that Mr. Varner's foresight and steadfast determination in the construction of the county's drinking water reservoir (that bears his name) is the most enduring gift Roy Varner gave to the county he loved. The citizens of Newton (and Walton County) have and will continue to benefit from this vision.

However, it is much more than his accomplishments that made Roy Varner memorable to so many of us. From time to time long after his tenure as chairman had ended, he would visit us at the water production plant. He would always have a joke or a story to tell in the folksy manner that was so uniquely Mr. Roy. A genuinely funny man, his stories always seemed to contain nuggets of wisdom. He had a way of making everyone, regardless of position feel at ease and comfortable around him. In fact, we all were a little happier and wiser after his visits.

On a professional level, Roy Varner should be honored for his enduring contributions and on a personal level Mr. Roy will be missed by all who were lucky enough to have known him.