Obituary of Darlene May Johnson

May 31, 1952 – Yarina Cocha, Peru

July 14, 2024 – Calgary, Alberta

Darlene Johnson (nee Wakelin), beloved wife of David Randy Johnson, of Calgary, AB, passed away on Sunday, July 14, 2024, at the age of 72 years.

Darlene was born in Yarinacocha, Peru, on May 31, 1952. Her parents, Alice and Ray Wakelin, served there as missionaries with Wycliffe Bible Translators, working to create a written language for the Awajún people. After returning to Canada, the family settled in southern Alberta, where they lived in Lethbridge and Spring Coulee before moving to the farm near Enchant in the spring of 1965. Darlene loved living on the farm and fondly recalled planting and weeding the vegetable garden, hauling hay bales with her sister Angie, and running the combine to harvest wheat and barley. She often returned to southern Alberta throughout her life to appreciate the prairie skies and remark about the crops growing in the fields.

A lifelong lover of music, one of the highlights of Darlene’s high school career was playing clarinet in the band program. She was a member of the church worship team alongside her father, Ray, who played the saxophone. She was drawn to the haunting tone of the flute and took lessons later in life. It brought her great joy to play the flute as her daughters accompanied her on piano and guitar.

A strong Christian believer, Darlene’s involvement with the church included teaching Sunday School, participating in Bible studies, singing in the choir, serving on church boards, and volunteering with Vacation Bible School. She also attended Prairie Bible Institute and graduated in spring 1974. She worked in Banff during some of those summers. After graduation, she spent an adventurous six months working in Australia before moving to Red Deer, where she met her future husband, Randy. She described it as a whirlwind courtship; they began dating in summer 1975, got engaged in February 1976, and tied the knot on May 8, 1976. She continued her education and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Home Economics with Distinction from the University of Alberta in 1979. Always a talented and intelligent student, she won the gold medal, and she was the valedictorian. Darlene also earned her Master of Arts in Sociology from the University of Alberta in 1986. She was a lifelong learner who practiced Spanish in her retirement and never stopped enrolling in university courses.

Darlene and Randy’s next big adventure began in the late 1970s when they started training with the Summer Institute of Linguistics, an evangelical Christian nonprofit organization that studied and promoted languages. They took their skills overseas to Papua New Guinea, where they focussed on community development. Darlene gave birth to her eldest daughter, Cheryl, in Papua New Guinea in 1981. After returning to Canada, the family settled in Edmonton to complete their university studies. Their youngest daughter Dana was born in 1985. Darlene began a lifelong pursuit of supporting newcomers to Canada with her work at Catholic Social Services. Prompted by Randy’s illness, they moved to Red Deer in 1990. Darlene adapted to the needs of her family and took on the role of primary breadwinner and chief parent. She worked as the Executive Director for the Central Alberta Refugee Effort. Her career took her to Red Deer College, where she worked in administration on program development and served on the board of the Support Staff Association.

After retiring in 2017, Darlene moved to Calgary to be closer to her grandchildren and the mountains. She was an avid hiker and backpacker, with a love of the outdoors. Darlene was very observant and had a keen interest in nature. She often planned her camping trips according to the blooming season for wildflowers and brought books on her hikes to help identify different plants. She was also an environmental steward who always recycled, composted, and limited her consumption to help protect the planet. If she encountered litter on a walk, she would pick it up and carry it out to the garbage.

In addition to her love of hiking in beautiful Canada, Darlene was a passionate international traveler. She planned extensive trips to countries around the world, always seeking out cultural experiences, and immersing herself in her destinations. She described her 43-day adventure to Indonesia in 2022 as the trip of a lifetime, but she also had so many incredible trips including Egypt, Turkey, Greece, Fiji, Japan, China, Peru, and Europe. She sought out the world’s best snorkeling locations and kept an extensive catalogue of all the beautiful fish she photographed during her travels.

Back home in Canada, Darlene was active and community-minded, supporting efforts to settle refugee families, hosting events for international students, and teaching English as a second language. She was a loving and faithful daughter who brought her parents to live in her home for many years. She had a sharp mind and kept busy with puzzles, word games, and loved her daily ritual of reading the newspaper. Some of her favourite activities were bicycling, walking, playing cards and board games, gardening, picnicking, and reading (when she couldn’t be snorkeling!). Over the years, the family had book clubs, poetry clubs (her favourites were Haiku), Sudoku competitions, and a Wordle group. She was a wonderful grandmother who loved to be active with her grandkids, always encouraging creative activities like crafts and games, with plenty of hours spent using sidewalk chalk, blowing bubbles, and having dance parties. During the COVID pandemic, she helped with virtual kindergarten. She will be remembered as dependable, creative, smart, adventurous, and loving. Her childhood nickname was Wacky.

In addition to her loving husband Randy, Darlene is survived by her daughter Cheryl Johnson Keeping, son-in-law Andrew Keeping, and their children, Alice and Aelwyn of Calgary, AB; and her daughter Dana (Johnson) Thorne, son-in-law Tyler Thorne, and their children, Ryker and Locksley of London, ON.

Darlene is also survived by her mother Alice Wakelin, of Calgary, AB; her sister Angie Wakelin, and brother-in-law Errol Hedin of Lac La Biche, AB, and their children, Erik and Sunny Lemen (children, Samuel and Michael) of Port Coquitlam, BC; Bjorn and Margareta Hedin (child Rikka) of Calgary, AB; Carla Hedin and Michael Cryer (child Elaina) of Calgary, AB; and Warren Hedin of Edmonton, AB. As well, she is survived by her sister-in-law George Perrier of Markham, ON, and her children, Michelle Perrier, Jennifer Perrier, and Danny Perrier of Markham, ON.

Darlene was predeceased by her father Ray Wakelin, and her mother-in-law and father-in-law, Mary and Otto Johnson.

Memorial Services will be held at St. James Anglican Church (6351 Ranchview Drive N.W., Calgary, AB) on Monday, August 5, 2024, at 2:00 p.m.

If friends so desire, memorial tributes may be made directly to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada, 2 Lansing Square, Suite 601, Toronto, ON M2J 4P8, 1-833-222-4884, https://www.bloodcancers.ca/.

Condolences, memories, and photos may be shared and viewed with Darlene’s family here.

In living memory of Darlene Johnson, a tree will be planted in the Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area by McInnis & Holloway Funeral Homes, Heritage, 1708 – 16th Avenue NW, Calgary, AB, T2M 0L7, Telephone: 403-299-0100.