Obituary of Darrell Wesley Meyers

October 3, 1931 ~ January 7, 2023

Darrell was born 91 years ago to Marion and Wesley (Wes) in Rochester, Minnesota.  Wes was a handyman (just like the sons he raised) and built their house.  Darrell had an older sister Marjorie (deceased) and a younger brother Carlton.  They lived next door to their maternal grandparents who were great and entertaining friends.

Darrell worked throughout grade school and beyond.  He grew the largest paper route in the city by age 12 and was active in the Boy Scouts.  When Darrell was 15, the family uprooted and moved to Seattle, looking for greater opportunity and following family friends.  Eventually, the family moved to the Tri-Cities where Wes, an auto mechanic, purchased a gas station and later became the Water Superintendent for West Richland.

Meanwhile Darrell stayed in Seattle with friends and went to Franklin High School, continuing to work part time as a Western Union messenger, roofer, construction laborer and eventually working for his father’s gas station, as Darrell moved back and forth between Seattle and the Tri-Cities.

Darrell started college at the University of Washington as an engineering major but was called up to serve in the Navy during the Korean War in 1951.  He was a radarman, guiding aircraft carriers here and there, first serving on the USS Essex and later serving in Bremerton on his beloved tug the Sabeata.  During these years he married Carolann and when he was discharged in ’54 came back home as father to Douglas. Soon Kimberly and Lori followed.

Using the GI bill, Darrell went to Everett Junior Collage followed by the UW and graduated with a BA in Business Administration/Statistics.  Shortly thereafter he joined the Boeing Company as an industrial engineer, doing scheduling for the Minuteman missile program for nine years.  He then moved on to King County Medical (now known as Regence BlueShield) where he worked for 30 years as Manager of Underwriting and then Vice President of Administration until he retired in 1992.

In his early years, Darrell was active in the Edmonds Rod and Gun club, playing sports and dragging his longest best friend Dick Vigal on adventurous hikes to kill big game or fish; and had many fun family fishing and camping vacations.

In 1974 Darrell remarried, and he and Sue had Tyler.  During these years, Darrell, Sue and team spent many years skiing, boating, family camps, trips to Crescent Bar and Sun Valley and Tyler’s sporting events.  Most of all they enjoyed their growing family, that included sons/daughter-in-law, Tony, Gary, Mikkel; eight grandchildren: Scott (Rita), Dana (Koply) Mike, Chris, Taylor, Mackenzie (Graham), Sierra and Aksel; and three great grandkids Reena, Malia and Sammy.

After his retirement, Sue and Darrell travelled for the better part of 18 years throughout the US and Canada in their much loved fifth wheel trailer.  During these years, Darrell and Sue kept in shape hiking, biking, skiing and shopping!

As the good times slowed down, so did Darrell’s health.  But in spite of Darrell’s advancing Alzheimer’s and other health issues, the family continued to vacation, with his final trip last October to Lake Coeur d’Alene with his beloved brother and sister-in-law, Carl and Lynda, along with seeing Tyler’s new home in Sandpoint, Idaho. 

It was a good life.