Bessie A. Panagos Varunes, 98, of Hamden, formerly of Butler Road, North Haven, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, April 28, 2020 at Yale-New Haven Hospital. She was the beloved wife of the late George Varunes. Bessie was born in Altuna, Pennsylvania on February 25, 1922 and was the daughter of the late Peter and Bertha Costeines Panagos. A 1941 graduate of the former Commercial High School, New Haven, she had worked as a secretary for Sikorsky, later for the for the former Brock-Hill Dairy of Hamden, then at Kemper Insurance until her retirement. After retirement she worked part-time for Stop & Shop of North Haven. She was a member of the Century 21 Real Estate. Mother of Peter Varunes, Elaine Varunes, Constance LaCava and her husband Robert. Grandmother of Jessica and Kristen Varunes, Erinn Tiernan Jones. Great-Grandmother of Zoey Lee Joes. Sister of Marie Verinis and the late Olga Lianides, George and James Panagos.
Due to the current limitations of the COVID-19 pandemic, a private funeral will be held on Tuesday, May 5th at The Havens Family, North Haven Funeral Home, 36 Washington Avenue. Burial will be in Beaverdale Memorial Park, 90 Pine Road, New Haven. There are no public visiting hours.