Etna, NH – James W. Varnum, 85, of Etna, New Hampshire, died on May 26, 2026 at the Jack Byrne Center after several years of battling Parkinson’s. He was born on May 29, 1940, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the son of Robert O. and Jeannette (Badger) Varnum, and grew up in the Detroit suburbs of Royal Oak and Birmingham. After graduating from Dartmouth College in 1962, he received his Master’s in Hospital Administration from the University of Michigan in 1964. It was there that he met his future wife, Lucinda Ann Hotchkiss. They were married in 1964 in Cortland, New York.
Jim was appointed President of Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital in 1978 and was deeply involved in the approvals, build, and move to the Lebanon campus. He continued to lead DHMC through the rapid changes to healthcare in the 1990s and 2000s until his retirement in 2006. His vision and ability to listen to and work with everyone were pivotal factors in the medical center’s success. After his family, developing MHMH into a major regional medical center was one of his proudest achievements.
Before coming to the Upper Valley, he was chief administrator of the University of Washington Hospital in Seattle and superintendent of the University of Wisconsin Hospital in Madison.
In retirement, Jim served on a variety of non-profit boards including VINS, the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, New Hampshire Public Radio, and Grafton County Senior Citizens Council. An adventurous traveler, he and Cindy explored the world, taking wildlife-focused trips to the Arctic, Antarctic, numerous African countries, South America, India, and Australia.
He is survived by his wife, his daughter Susan Lucinda Varnum and her husband Tracey Larvenz (Portland, Oregon), his son Kenneth James Varnum and his wife Nieka Apell (Ann Arbor, Michigan), and two grandsons, Elliott Stephen Varnum and Milo James Varnum. He was preceded in death by his parents and sister, Joanne (Varnum) Huss.
A private burial service for the family will be held later this year. In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Jim’s memory.
Donations can be made to the Nursing Education Fund in support of the James W. Varnum Auxiliary Nursing Scholarship Award, in memory of James Varnum Checks should be made payable to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health, and gifts can be sent to: Medical & Healthcare Advancement, Dartmouth Health, One Medical Center Drive (HB 7070), Lebanon, NH 03756. (Note on check that the gift is for the Nursing Education Fund in memory of Jim Varnum). For credit card gifts, please call 603-653-0700.
Click here to sign the guest book or honor their memory with flowers, donations, or other heartfelt tributes