Darlene Fay Johnson - July 1, 1939 - Nov. 29, 2019

CALDWELL, FORMERLY OF ONTARIO, GRADUATED FROM VALE HIGH SCHOOL

After a courageous battle with cancer, Darlene went to be with the Lord on Friday, November 29, 2019.

Darlene is survived by her children Scott, Tony, Candyce, and Jeri Anne and her sister Karen. She was also blessed with ten grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her mother, Erma, her sister, Mary, and her father, Everett “Buzz” Johnson.

Darlene was born in Ontario, Oregon, on July 1, 1939. In her early years she lived with Buzz and Erma at the Pritchard Place in Hope, Oregon, and rode a horse five miles to the Hope Elementary school with her mother Erma. Eventually the family moved to the Sandhollow region near Vale, and lived in a small white house about 5 miles from Vale. After Buzz became the caretaker of the family ranch farther out in Sandhollow, Darlene lived there until she graduated from Vale high school. Darlene was a very popular girl in a tight-knit class who retained close ties throughout their lives.

After Darlene graduated from high school, she went to work at a bank in Boise, Idaho. There she met and married her first husband, Gayle Hodges. They lived for a short time in Moses Lake, Washington, before ending their marriage. Darlene then returned to Boise, where she met and married Dean Uhrich and moved to Rupert, Idaho. There they raised their four children for a number of years. After divorcing Dean in the mid ‘70’s, Darlene returned to work again at the bank and soon met and married Joe Sloper. She lived with Joe at Victory Road and then later on Black Cat Road in the Boise area. They spent twenty years together continuing to raise Darlene’s four children before Darlene left Joe in 1997. After Darlene left Joe, she lived with her mother Erma in Ontario, Oregon, and became very active at the Ontario Senior Center. There she met and married Dearld Wood. Darlene and Dearld had a very good relationship despite Dearld’s poor health. When Dearld died in 2005, Darlene was able to become a home owner in Caldwell, and her mother Erma joined her there. In Caldwell, Darlene retained her ties with the Ontario Senior Center and became a forceful part of the leadership there, a role she maintained until the time of her death. One of her great skills was the production of the Senior Newsletter for the Ontario Senior Center.

Throughout her life, Darlene exhibited tremendous artistic talents, and produced many fine oil paintings and other art objects. She loved to collect antiques and small figurines and filled her house with many beautiful things. She also had a wonderful spiritual center and loved all things sacred. A Celebration of Life for family and friends will be held in the Spring or Summer of 2020.