Building inspector and beloved resident Fred Varone has died at 81 following a long battle with cancer.
“He wasn’t a mean-spirited person,” said Board of Selectmen chair and longtime friend Anthony Cogliano. “I developed a great friendship with him. He would do whatever he could to help people and explain how they could do things to get their projects moving forward. He brought a lot of stability to the position and he was a good step in the right direction when he joined the town.”
Considered by many to be a pillar of the Saugus community, Varone, a widower who served in his position for more than two decades, was a “great guy” with a hard-hitting sense of humor, Cogliano said, adding that his own personal friendship with Varone stretched back decades.
The selectman noted his children grew up playing sports alongside Varone’s grandchildren.
“I loved listening to his crazy stories about the past,” he said. “I think the thing I’ll miss the most about Fred is that no matter what I went to see him for, no matter what type of permit I needed, he would always say, ‘nope. Can’t do it. Not going to happen.’ Just to break my chops. That was Freddy.”
Even at 81 and dealing with an advanced illness, Cogliano said Varone still held out hope he’d be back to work soon.
“He was phenomenal at what he did. He knew the building code inside and out, and I think the best thing the business community and builders would tell you about Fred is that he was fair,” Cogliano said. “You weren’t going to get away with something that was wrong.”
He later added: “We had a crazy fun relationship where we could be screaming and yelling at each other one minute and then the next day we’d be having a beer. I’m going to miss him.”
Outside of work, Varone continued to make an impact in his community.
Corinne Riley lived around the corner from Varone. She said the building inspector had formerly taken on something of a mentor role with her now-adult son, who wanted to pursue carpentry.
“When my son wanted advice or wanted to see how things were done, Fred always met with him,” she said. “He was so good to him.”
Riley, who serves alongside Cogliano on the Board of Selectmen, described Varone as “really personable,” adding: “there really wasn’t anyone who said anything bad about him.”
“He was very funny to talk to, and always with his cigar,” she said. “He’s going to be missed by a lot of people. My condolences really go out to his family.”
Town Manager Scott Crabtree also gave his condolences to Varone’s family, calling Varone a “dedicated” commissioner and valued Saugus resident who attracted many friends throughout his long tenure.
“He had a huge personality,” Crabtree said. “He’ll surely be missed by all of us.”