Famed Crop Duster Dusty Varain, 65, Dies of Lung Cancer

Veteran North County crop duster N.N. (Dusty) Varain died Friday at 65 of lung cancer. He had been flying his U.S. Navy biplane on crop spraying sorties until three weeks before his death.

Varain had chalked up more than 40 years of aerial spraying of groves and fields around Oceanside and was the last crop duster to ply his trade on coastal flower fields in the San Dieguito-Carlsbad area.

But, in recent years, he had been forced by mushrooming housing developments and shopping centers to move his business inland because of increasing complaints from coastal residents that the aerial spraying was contaminating their neighborhoods.

Varain’s wife, Mary, said Monday that her husband had confined his crop-dusting work to the San Pasqual Valley in recent years, complaining that he “had been driven out (of the populated coastal areas) by macadam.”

Growers also had almost ceased to use aerial application of pesticides, Varain said in a 1982 interview in The Times.

“It’s because of urbanization--not that I can’t do the job safely--but I can’t stand all the complaints that I get, even though 99% are psychological,” Varain said in the interview. He admitted that he turned jobs down that he once would have “worked like hell to get” because the environmental movement had sensitized many residents to the dangers of pesticides.

Mary Varain said that she and her husband operated San Pasqual Aero until his illness and death. He flew his last crop-dusting flight Sept. 9, she said, went to the doctor for tests on Sept. 13, and died two weeks later.

Dusty and his World War II-vintage Navy biplane trainer were common sights in the North County during the 1940s, ‘50s and ‘60s. He outlasted other pilots in the crop-dusting trade, and his only competition for aerial spraying work in recent years came from several firms that sprayed from helicopters. His wife said she planned to continue the business, hiring another pilot to fly the plane.

Mary Varain said her husband was confident that his lifelong handling of pesticides was not responsible for his last fatal disease.

“But he smoked cigarettes all his life,” she said. “His mother used to tell how, when he was 8, he smoked, and she decided that she might as well start buying him his cigarettes.”

Mrs. Varain said that, in accordance with her husband’s requests, there will be no funeral services. His body will be cremated and his ashes scattered at sea from an airplane, she said.

He is survived by six children, Norman Varain Jr. of Vista, Mundy Mezger of Poway, Sharon Knudtson of Sacramento, Michael Mezger of Barstow, and April Ezekial and Melody Deremo, both of Sacramento; nine grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.