Lucía Núñez, a Cuban American educator, community activist and LGBTQ+ pioneer, died on September 30, 2024, in Madison, Wisconsin.

Lucía was born January 3, 1960, in Cuba and left with her family in 1965. At age 16, Lucia went to boarding school in Easthampton, Massachusetts. She studied political science at Connecticut College and international education at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

In 1985, she joined the Peace Corps to support women, children, and schools in Honduras, and continued advocating for immigrant youth while working at Stanford University. After scouting locations from Oregon to New York, Lucía relocated her family to Wisconsin in 1999. At the time, the Hispanic population of Dane County was seeing triple-digit growth, with little to no infrastructure in place to provide culturally competent support. She joined Centro Hispano as executive director. She also served as deputy director of the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, administrator of the State of Wisconsin Equal Rights Division, and the first director of the City of Madison Department of Civil Rights. She marched at Madison’s Latino immigrant rallies and was featured in Somos Latinas: Voices of Wisconsin Latina Activists, published by the Wisconsin Historical Society Press. From 2016 until her retirement, she was the vice president of equity, inclusion, and community engagement at Madison Area Technical College.

Lucía is survived by Heidi Vargas, her wife of 35 years, and their two children, Carina Vargas-Nuñez, and Mateo Vargas-Nuñez.

To read the complete obituary please visit Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project and to make a memorial donation to the Lucía Núñez Becas (Scholarship) Program please visit Centro Hispano of Dane County.

It is with great sadness that we announce the sudden death of Varick M. Warren of Warwick, NY on February 1, 2024.
Varick was born September 15, 1960, in Douglaston, NY to Marjory Ann (nee Thomas) Warren and the late Douglas James Warren of Warwick, NY. He lived in Douglas Manor, NY until age 12 when his family moved to Manhattan. He attended Waldorf School in Garden City, NY and New Lincoln school in Manhattan, NY and graduated from Williston Northampton School in Easthampton, MA where he played on the ice hockey team. He was a great player and still played multiple times a week in Newburgh, NY, until his passing, and of course was a huge Rangers fan. Varick was an active member of the Ultimate Advantage weightlifting community, spending multiple days per week supporting and mentoring others. Varick loved Fire Island where he spent most of his childhood summers and continued to vacation there every summer. There he flourished, going fishing, body surfing, and sailing, among a few hobbies while developing lifelong friendships which he cherished dearly.
Varick had an accomplished career beginning on Wall Street back in the 1980’s. Eventually he transitioned into the produce industry where he excelled for over 30 years. Most recently he was Chief Operating Officer at Solata Foods, Newburgh, NY. He was an innovator and an esteemed fixture in the industry, always thinking ahead and developing new products. He was highly respected by his colleagues and co-workers. He had a huge heart and was known for offering opportunities to so many.
Varick was charismatic, generous, and knew how to make others laugh. He was a kind, big hearted man, who was always there to help those in need. He will be sorely missed by all who knew him.
Varick was a very loved husband, son, father, brother, uncle, and friend, of which he had many. Varick is survived by his two children, Mckenzie and Molly Warren; his loving wife, Neide Vera; her four children: Amanda, Kimberly, Maria, and Anna Vera and their children: Alan Vera, Sophia Rajos, and Penelope Reales; his mother, Marjory Warren; two sisters, Shaun Bangert and Andrea (Oney) Huffman; and his cat, Kitty.
Visitation will be on Tuesday, February 6, 2024, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. with a funeral service at 6:00 p.m. at Lazear-Smith & Vander Plaat Memorial Home, 17 Oakland Avenue, Warwick, NY.
In lieu of flowers, please reach out to Mckenzie Warren (mckenzie.j.warren@gmail.com) to support the creation of a scholarship fund in his name.

William L. Van Alen III passed away Sunday, January 29, 2023. Will was born to Sydney Purviance Van Alen and William L. Van Alen, Jr. on October 22, 1959. He graduated from Montgomery Country Day School and the Williston Northampton School. Will was an excellent athlete; the captain and high scorer of his lacrosse team at Williston. During the summers of his college years at the University of Vermont, Will taught windsurfing at 3rd Beach in Middletown RI. He came in second place in the Worlds and was featured as the centerfold of Windsurfing Magazine. Early in his life Will’s sheer joy of doing things directly involved with nature and the great outdoors was well established. Lured by the compelling beauty of the lakes, Will moved to Minnesota in the early 1990s and never left. There he found a new extreme sport, namely Sky Skiing. Will loved it and through endless practice, attained a high degree of proficiency. Loving the mountains as well as the oceans and lakes, Will enjoyed going out with friends four-wheeling. He often came home covered in mud with a big smile on his face. In the winter months, Will loved snowmobiling and skiing. Going fast and facing somewhat risky challenges definitely appealed to Will. During those years, Will married, later divorced, and started and ran a successful roofing and siding business. He also loved spending time with his family in Northeast Harbor, ME. He is survived by his mother Sydney Blynn Toland, three siblings, Alexandra Van Alen Frazier, Dina Gibson, and Luke Van Alen, seven nieces and nephews, and two great nieces and one great nephew. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Wounded Warrior Project or Tee it up for the Troops. Services will be held at St. David’s Church on May 6th, 2023 at 11:00 A.M.

GySgt. Bruce Luke McHugh, USMC Ret., 60, of Sneads Ferry, NC, died Thursday, November 5, 2020 at Lower Cape Fear LifeCareCenter in Wilmington.

Bruce was preceded in death by his father, Dr. Edward McHugh ’50. He is survived by his wife, Lisa McHugh; his mother, Janice McHugh; and two brothers, Edward ’77 and Michael ’79.

Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, November 20, 2020 at Jones Funeral Home, Holly Ridge Chapel, with Rev. Alan Sasser officiating. Burial, with full military honors, will follow at Coastal Carolina State Veterans Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society through www.cancer.org.