Verna Burchell

STRAFFORD - Verna Virginia (Varley) Burchell, 86, of Strafford, NH, passed away peacefully at home on August 17, 2013. Born in Washington Depot, CT, on April 5, 1927, she was the daughter of John and Hilda (Anderson) Varley. After spending her childhood in Washington Depot, Verna attended Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg, Virginia and The University of Connecticut. After meeting and falling in love on the shores of Lake Waramaug in Warren, CT, Verna and Gerard A. Burchell, Jr. were married on December 3, 1949 in Lexington, VA. Together they raised 3 children, first residing in New York and later moving to Rochester, NH in 1965. Verna was a secretary at the First United Methodist Church in Rochester, NH and later worked as a teacher-aide and secretary at East Rochester School where she loved working with all of the children, especially those with special needs. Verna and her husband Jerry owned and operated Burch Farm on Whitehall Road in Rochester, NH for many years, selling a wide variety of...