“Zeke Varner was one of the best friends I ever had. From the time I was 14 until he died last year, we were the best of buddies. We drank together and gambled together. Zeke played all games, from pool to poker to dominoes. He was an expert at them all. The first time I remember meeting Zeke was at the Nite Owl in West, Texas. He was always one of my biggest fans. When I played with Bud Fletcher and the Texans at the Nite Owl, Chief’s Bloody Bucket, Shadowland, The County Line, all the beer joints around Waco and West, Zeke was there every night.””

From the book “The Facts of Life” (2002) by Willie Nelson.