Darlene Harrison Jones
Darlene Harrison was born on May 16, 1936 at her family’s home in Osmond, the second child of Leslie and Maurine Harrison. This is the very same house that she and Chuck have been living in for the past several years. It started out as a one bedroom house but grew as the family did. Our Dad’s dream was that he should have a bunch of sons. However, of his 8 children only 2 boys, Virden and Dennis, were squeezed in between the 6 girls, NaDee, Darlene, Marilyn, Adele, Vicki and Karla. Consequently Darlene and Marilyn became his helpers in many farm jobs. Darlene always preferred working outdoors rather than indoors, even as a child. To her, doing dishes was a job she tolerated, but thoroughly disliked.
She loved working on the farm. When she was very young, she helped by harnessing the work horses, milking the cows, operating the farm machinery, and hauling the never-ending rocks. This love of farming continued as she and her husband and boys operated farms of their own in several states. It carried on most recently to the pastures in Osmond where Darlene was seen a couple of times a day helping Chuck move irrigation sprinkler pipes. She claimed that it was good therapy for recovering from a stroke.
Although her first love was the out-of-doors, Darlene also developed many homemaking skills. When she was a teenager, she was a perfectionist in sewing her own clothes and enjoyed sewing for herself and her sisters including making formals for herself and Marilyn. She learned to be an excellent cook and at one time had a job as a cook in a senior care facility, and we’ve all lusted after famous blonde brownies.
While in high school, she worked as a teller at the bank. A low point of her banking career was when the bank was robbed and she had to be fingerprinted, along with the rest of the employees. This was quite frightening for a girl of sixteen – not to mention the reaction of her parents to think that anyone would suspect their fine upstanding daughter of such an act.
She has a brilliant mind and was always a good student. Darlene attended Osmond Elementary and Star Valley High School. Upon graduation she received a four-year scholarship to the University of Wyoming, where she graduated with a degree in Elementary Education. Because of her love for learning and the stories she would tell about college, she inspired several of her younger brothers and sisters to attend and graduate from the University of Wyoming.
One day at the Institute in Laramie, several of the college boys were showing their strength by trying to stretch a five-spring arm exerciser. One of the guys was showing off and said to her, "Do this" and stretched the springs wide. He handed her the springs and she promptly stretched them as far as he had. They found out that a farm girl can be pretty strong. She was a little embarrassed, but also a bit proud of herself.
While in college, she met and married Charles Moncur Jones, a young man who had recently returned from the war in Korea. Their courtship mostly took place during the activities at the LDS Institute. Chuck had his eye on Darlene for some time and when she cooled off a friendship with another young man, and began to consider going on a mission, he was “Johnny-on-the-spot” to win her heart. Not only was he tall, handsome, and intelligent, but he had his own airplane, could play the trumpet, sing, and fix anything.
Darlene and Chuck became the proud parents of three boys - Martin, Forrest, and William (Bill). Together they taught their sons the value of work, love for each other, and love of the gospel. The prospects of an education for their sons was promoted from the time they were very little, and the boys grew up saving money for their missions. There was a period of 7 or 8 years where all three boys were either on missions or going to college. Forrest wrote “Our parents never complained about the financial strain of those years, even though I know it was very difficult for them. Martin got a PH.D, I got a Master’s Degree and Bill got a Bachelor’s Degree. And, all of us served full time missions.
She was the perfect mother for three boys. She helped them learn to bat when they were in Little League, and spent hours with them playing catch, archery, football, soccer, Frisbee. She loved camping, fishing and other outdoor activities. With the help of their mother, all three boys became Eagle Scouts and 2 of them are now scoutmasters.
She memorized Scripture Mastery scriptures with them for seminary, and often read the weekly scripture assignments to them on the hour-long drives to church from River Falls to their ward in Minnesota. She taught her boys how to cook, and how to make jam, jelly or pancake syrup from fruit they picked. She foiled the three boys’ plot to catch the Tooth Fairy when she accidentally found the trip wires, booby trap, and camera they had set up in their bedroom.
When Chuck took a job at the University of Wisconsin, River Falls, Darlene got a job at the local high school. Interestingly enough, she always knew when it was test time and skipping school was definitely not a possibility for her boys. Forrest said he had almost perfect attendance for several years. One of her responsibilities was to give the announcements over the loud speaker system, so often his friends would whisper to him, “Forrest your Mother is calling.”
She was also the perfect farm wife. Letting a sick newborn calf spend its first few days in the house was typical of Darlene. She had an excellent mechanical aptitude, which she demonstrated early in life when she operated on a clock and made it run backwards. Later on, she worked alongside Chuck and the boys in the repair and maintenance of farm machinery and other equipment.
Darlene and Chuck were always a team. They both have keen and inventive minds and what problem one couldn’t solve, the other could. They were always together and supporting one another on their projects, whether it was caring for an invalid parent, teaching seminary, or managing their properties. Both were free to have their say. They discussed the issues and came to agreement.
Along with their 3 sons, Darlene and Chuck have 3 daughters-in-law: Sandy, Debbie and Nancy, as well as 6 grandchildren, Christopher, Matthew, Lexie, Abby, Michael and Natalie. This is one group of Jones’ it’s worth keeping up with.
She was a devoted and loyal wife and mother and was very proud of her children and grandchildren. She delighted them with her large repertoire of songs, poems, and stories. She became lively and animated when she was entertaining children, and all children loved her. One of her small quiet services was to sit by the family of one of the bishopric counselors to help with the children in church.
Darlene was a great student of the gospel. She taught seminary several times, most recently in the Special Needs Seminary in Afton. She loved her students and helped them to enjoy learning. Her ability to memorize and remember scriptures and poetry are legend. Last year at our family reunion she recited several long poems that brought back memories to all of us. One thing she did that I didn’t know about was to play the piano and organ very well. She and I had piano lessons together, apparently with her it stuck – not so with me.
One of her great loves was genealogy. At every reunion, she would make a presentation about the lives of some of our ancestors. She researched and submitted names of numerous ancestors in preparation for having their temple work performed. I’m sure she was met a few days ago, by some of those people for whom she had made it possible to receive their temple ordinances. Because she took such an interest in their lives, she will have recognized them immediately.
Darlene was an advocate for truth, had strong faith and trust in the Lord, and could be depended on to make righteous decisions. There was no wavering in her commitment to church service, filling many callings besides seminary, i.e., Relief Society President, Primary teacher, etc., as well as her many years working with Chuck as an ordinance worker in the Chicago, St. Paul, and Idaho Falls temples (none of which was less than an hour’s drive from their home. Even after her stroke, she resumed her duties in the Idaho Falls Temple as soon as she was able.
When circumstances permitted, Darlene and Chuck requested to go on a mission, preferably in a foreign land, but wherever they were needed. Because of her very strong determination to go on a mission, she went on a very strict diet regimen for several months to get her blood sugar down to the level required by the missionary department. Her fortitude and their desires were rewarded, and they received their mission call to Johannesburg, South Africa, where they arrived on December 24, 2003. In May 2004, while working in the Johannesburg Temple, being where she wanted to be, and doing what she loved, she suffered a heart attack, and after several weeks in intensive care, she passed away on July 21st.
Darlene’s legacy is the love she showed not only for her husband, children, and grandchildren, but for all who knew her. Her circle of influence goes around the world, and her generosity, kindness, and humility will be greatly missed. As a family, we were close knit. We had yearly reunions with all who could possibly attend, even from long distances, and Star Valley was a favorite location. For about 40 years, we have had a family letter going around monthly. When email came along about 10 years ago we changed over to that mode of communication, so you see, keeping in touch has been important.
Darlene is a dear wife, mother, grandmother, friend and sister.
We all love you, Darlene, please continue to be an angel to all of us.