Memorial Service For Mattie Varvaro

Mattie Varvaro, 64, Scarborough, NY, born March 11, 1953, (born Mathilda Gollhofer in Babylon, NY) has passed away after a two-year battle with lung cancer. She married Steve Varvaro September 19th, 1976 and they shared a loving relationship for over 41 years.

Mattie was well known and respected in the Westchester area for her interest and abilities in gardening. She spent her time creating, planting, advocating and promoting the advancement of bird, humming bird, butterfly, and bee friendly gardens.

In addition to her own specialized business, The Wildlife Gardener, Mattie was involved in a number of community and volunteer garden projects, most notably the planting of the exquisite 9/11 Memorial tree peony garden at the Rockefeller State Park Preserve in Pleasantville, NY.

She also cultivated many close friendships, nourishing those relationships with magical meals and warm hospitality.

She graduated from SUNY Oneonta in 1975 and earned her Masters of Business Administration from Fordham University in 1986.

Mattie’s professional career included clinical work as a Registered Dietitian, as a successful pharmaceutical sales and marketing executive; as well as a Health Outcomes Advocate for Merck & Co.

Mattie loved the outdoors and in addition to her gardening efforts her pastimes included, hiking, kayaking, cooking and bird watching.

A memorial service will be held at 12:30PM on Saturday, December 16th at the Briarcliff Congregational Church at 30 South State Road, Briarcliff Manor, New York. All are welcome to attend.

In lieu of flowers please make contributions to Guiding Eyes for the Blind in Yorktown, NY.

Image via Shutterstock