A beloved member of Butler Country Club who was also a well-known insurance agent in Butler County died Thursday morning.

Stephen A. Varva, 62, died Thursday morning at home, after what his close friend Dr. Tony Smaldino said was a lengthy battle with cancer. Smaldino said Varva had beat a cancer diagnoses before, but about 15 months ago the disease returned and was worse than before.

Varva grew up in Butler and graduated from Penn State University before returning to Butler and working as a claims adjuster for Nationwide Insurance in the mid-1980s.

Both joined Butler Country Club on the same day in 1991, said Smaldino, who reflected on Varva's love of family and golf, and his keen understanding of history and legacy.

“Steve Varva was a special person,” he said. “He had a keen understanding and sentimental sense for his elders and everybody that passed before him from Butler Country Club and Butler. He just understood what family was all about.”

Varva would marry his wife, Tammy, in 1983 and go on to start his own branch of Nationwide Insurance in 1985. The couple have two adult daughters, Lindsie and Stephanie Varva.

Smaldino said he watched his friend grow into an elder statesman among golfers at the club, where he was known for keeping a local competition known as “The Shootout” organized and humming.

“Everybody leaned on him as 'The Boss' — that's what they called him,” Smaldino said. “He was just an incredible leader. He wasn't loud or boisterous or demeaning. He just had incredible character. He was the glue.”

His obituary appears in today's edition of the Butler Eagle.