Darlene Virginia Cook Brown joined her loving husband in heaven on January 9, 2024. She was born to Daisy Rawlins Cook and Edward Cook on October 22, 1928 in Lyra, Ohio.

Her maternal grandparents and her father immigrated from Germany around the turn of the century. Her best friend was Irene "Rene" Brown Thompson who she was neighbors with and played with as children even though Rene's brother would sometimes throw rocks at them while they played. As a true member of the "Greatest Generation", at 15 years old, she and Rene moved to Portsmouth and joined the workforce making shoes during World War II. Darlene was the only girl in a family of eight brothers, whereas Rene was one of eight sisters with only one brother. At the end of WWII, Rene's brother, Don, returned from the Pacific theater and soon asked Darlene to marry him. Don always insisted that Darlene became interested in him after she was in line behind him at the bank shortly after he was returned home from the war and was depositing his pay from his time in the army. Darlene insisted that was not true.

Darlene and Don were members of Antioch Free Will Baptist Church for more than 60 years and were baptized together in Pine Creek in Lyra around 1958. Darlene and Don raised two sons, Donnie and John. They enjoyed traveling with their sons and grandchildren and have visited all 50 states, Mexico, and Canada together. Darlene was a retired bus driver for Bloom-Vernon schools. Some of her favorite activities were deer hunting with her husband and sons, trout fishing with her grandchildren, traveling, going to church, farming, and spending time with her family.

Darlene is preceded in death by her beloved husband of 73 years, Donald Clifford Brown, Sr.; her brothers, Clarence, Harold, Ellis, John (Riley), Bill, Leonard (Shep), and Merv Cook; her son, Donald Clifford Brown, Jr., an army Vietnam Veteran; and two granddaughters, Hollie Leigh Brown Marciniak and Kimberly Dawn Brown.

Darlene is survived by her son, John David Brown and wife, Janet, of Wheelersburg; two granddaughters, Angela Chambers and husband, Terrel, of Amarillo, Texas, and Heather Brown Slaton and husband, Todd, of Franklin, OH; a brother, Wesley Cookand two sisters, Georgia Hall and Bonnie Clark all of Wheelersburg; nine great-grandchildren: Benjamin Slaton, Geneva, OH, Cameron Slaton, Philadelphia, PA, TSgt Christina Slaton, Shaw AFB, SC, Carmen Slaton Sparks, West Carollton, OH, Trinity Chambers and Tristan Chambers, Amarillo, TX, Tonja Chambers Burks, Elton, MO, Hillary Chambers Witt, Salt Lake City, UT, and Kara Chambers, Greeley, CO.

Funeral Services will be at 1:00 PM Monday, January 15, 2024 at DW Swick Funeral Home in Wheelersburg with Pastor Rick Henderson officiating. Interment will follow at Vernon Cemetery.  Visitation will be 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM Monday at the funeral home. The family would like to extend a special thanks to the Vernon Township EMTs and SOMC Hospice nurses and staff.

Online condolences may be sent to DWSwickFuneralHome.com