Obituary of Richard Neal Varberg

Richard Neal Varberg, age 91, most recently from St. Paul, MN, passed away on Tuesday, November 21, 2023.

Richard "Dick" Varberg was born on July 2, 1932, to Lewis and Esther Varberg in the small farming town of Fertile, Iowa.  He grew up on a farm where he milked cows and helped with other chores.  His parents attended the Fertile Gospel Mission and as a boy Dick was encouraged and coached by his mother to memorize verses and even whole chapters.  When he was eight years old he placed his faith in Jesus and began a personal relationship with God.

After graduating from high school he enrolled in the Lutheran Brethren Bible School in Fergus Falls, MN.  One of the professors there called Dick into his office one day and said,  "I believe God told me to call you in here to inform you that he wants you in the ministry.  God wants you in his service full time."  This surprised Dick but caused him to start thinking about his future.

The next year Dick attended Waldorf Junior College in Forest City, Iowa.  After graduating from Waldorf Junior College, Dick attended Bethel College in St. Paul, MN.  He supported himself while at Bethel by driving school buses and by working in the Bethel coffee shop.  It was at the coffee shop that he met an attractive young lady named Elenor Swartz who had grown up in New Jersey.  That spring they went on a choir tour together in California and their love for each other began to blossom.

During Dick's senior year at Bethel he started working for Cornelius Jewelers, selling diamond rings to other students who were getting engaged. He bought a diamond ring and proposed to Elenor on Valentine's Day on the shore of Como lake.  They were married in the Pleasantdale Baptist Church in West Orange, NJ on August 18, 1955, and Dick enrolled in Bethel Seminary that fall. 

In June of 1958, Dick and Elenor Varberg were appointed as missionaries to the Philippines with the Baptist General Conference.  In the fall of 1958,  their first son, Paul, was born.  On December 8th they boarded the ship, President Cleveland, in Oakland, CA, and sailed to the Philippines, arriving there on December 28, 1958.

Three days after arriving in Cebu City, in the central Philippines, they moved to the rural coastal town of Tuburan where Dick was to take over the leadership of three small churches.  It was here that they began to learn Philippine culture and the Cebuano language. As there was no electricity in Tuburan town at that time, they used Coleman lanterns for lights and had a kerosene refrigerator and a washing machine with a gasoline engine.  A second son, Dan, joined the family in 1960.  Dick and Elenor worked in Tuburan for four years and saw God bring growth to the church and several if its outreaches.

After spending a year in the States visiting their supporting churches they returned to the Philippines and were assigned to the town of Masbate on the island of Masbate.  This required learning a new language, Masbatiño.  Dick and Elenor ministered on the island of Masbate for the next 33 years.  During this time, God added to their family Steve, Becky and Debi.  God also allowed them to plant Masbate Baptist Church and turn it into a key-center church. With God's help they started the Masbate Baptist Bible College, whose students would go on to plant many churches throughout Masbate province and southern Luzon.

Upon retirement from ministry as missionaries in 1997, they returned to their home in St. Paul, MN.  After “retirement,” Dick was involved in training and mentoring new missionaries and missionaries on home assignment.  They also returned to Masbate during their retirement to assist the Masbate Baptist Church through a time of leadership struggle.  Dick wrote two books about their ministry in the Philippines.

Dick was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Elenor, and two brothers, Dale and Boyd.  Dick is survived by his five children - Paul Varberg (Margie), Daniel Varberg (Sandy), Steven Varberg (Maricel), Rebecca Magnuson (Tim), and Debra Lake (Kevin); 13 grandchildren and two great grandchildren. 

A Memorial Service will be held at 3:00 PM on Monday, December 11th at Central Baptist Church, 420 N. Roy St, St Paul, MN 55104.