Darel Frank Lindquist, 72, passed away peacefully on April 2, 2019. He was born June 24th in the summer of 1946 to Roger and Teresa (Rice) Lindquist and grew up in Portage, Indiana. Darel was a proud 1968 graduate of DePauw University where he was a member of the Delta Upsilon fraternity and the Tigers football and track teams. He went on to serve in the United States Marine Corps and was a Vietnam veteran and Purple Heart recipient. Darel made California his home for a time but soon moved back to Indiana because he “needed to see more things made by God than by man.” He settled in Greencastle, IN and lived on wooded acreage in an old log cabin he painstakingly restored; “The Ranch” was truly Darel’s Walden Pond.
Darel was a kindhearted, generous man of great wit and corny humor. He had a keen artistic eye and was a talented musician, writer, and poet. A prolific songwriter, he penned the lyrics to “The Ballad of the Monon Bell,” the anthem for the annual DePauw-Wabash rivalry football game. Darel’s mantra was “every day’s a holiday, and every meal’s a feast,” and he lived one day at a time never worrying about tomorrows. He loved hearing rain hit the roof, observing woodland ‘critters’ on his property, collecting antiques and family memorabilia, taking tropical vacations, and watching the Colts and the Cubs.
He is survived by his true love of 15 years, Kathy Wright; the son of his heart, Jake (Tami) Van Rensselaer; his brother Denis (Robert); his sister Diann (Bill) Ryan; nieces, nephews; great nieces and nephews; grandchildren of his heart; and friends near and far.
Darel was one of a kind and he will be terribly missed. A celebration of Darel’s life is being planned for early summer.
“What we have once enjoyed we can never lose. All that we love deeply, becomes a part of us.” – Helen Keller.
Susan Cowsert says
I have a Deep Well of Memories that I draw from. For this I am Thankful. Like we always said to each other. We had a Norman Rockwell childhood. RIP
Skip Beal says
You probably don’t know me but Denis does. I knew Darel from church and baseball. He was a precious soul and I truly respected him. I lost track of him after I went to Vietnam. I too was wounded there in early ‘67. I am so sorry for your loss and I wish that I lived closer to him, to visit. I’ll visit him in heaven. God bless y’all
Skip Beal
Linnea Anderson Leatherman says
I didn’t know Darel, but I have known Diann since high school, and saw her not long ago. I offer my sincere condolences to all of the Lindquist extended family on the loss of Darel. I’m so sorry. I know his passing will leave an empty space in your lives.
Linnea Anderson Leatherman
Jeanne Smith says
Kathy, I’m so sorry to hear about Darel. I was shocked to read Jessica’s post today. Sending you hugs Kathy!!
Rich Gibson says
So sorry to learn of Darel’s passing. I last saw him at church maybe 35 – 40 years ago but remember him very well from our youth, as well as the rest of the family, in church, in school & on the field. He was a great guy with a great sense of humor & there’s no question he lived life to the fullest. That’s the way he was made.
Lisa pantea says
I did not know Darel, but I was a portage high school choiraleer, so learned alot about choral singing from his dad, roger. I knew Diann linquist too but she was older, in my brother Vic’s class. I then learned about Darel later in life from a dear friend mike lillich who was pals with him in Greencastle. It’s really such a small world, we are all connected and thanks to my music experience at PHS, I’m singing in a chamber music group now, 16 members, just like the choiraleers! I learned Darel wrote some Barry manilow songs, love them all, rip Darel.
Linda and John LaVine says
Darel will be truly missed by us, John and Linda LaVine. We met Darel in 1988 when we put a swimming pool in. Darel did the plumbing of the pool for Pools of Fun. We immediately became friends and Darel opened and closed our pool every year from that point forward. We last saw Darel in October of 2018 when he closed our pool. We shared lots of conversations over the years about music, as our son toured with Barbara Mandrel and wrote some music also. He shared some memories of his days in California and The Beach Boys. His love and pride for Kathy and Jake were always part of our conversations when we were together. We were fortunate to get to meet Kathy on a couple of occasions at dinner. Kathy and Jake, and the world, we have lost a great friend. We have no doubt he is up in Heaven making others laugh and feel comfortable. Our sincerest sympathy to all that have lost this great friend.
Rita Leone says
He always had a smile & loved to share a story. I was privileged to be with him the first time he visited The Wall & shared his heartache. He will be so missed as he was so loved. Will treasure the poetry he shared with me. RIP
nancy sinclair says
I will always remember Darel
And the Christmas Korv sausages making
He was a great man and a good friend and taken far too early .
My heart goes out to Kathy, Diann, Bill,Denis, Roger, Jake and all those who knew and loved this wonderful man.
Bob McCallister says
Darel and I were more friends than business acquaintances. For 28 years we marked the passage of time in the spring and fall of each year as he cared for my pool. We discussed family, politics, friendships, and faith. I always knew he had my best interests at heart. I felt fortunate that he kept me as a customer until the end. I will deeply miss our seasonal chats and his friendship. My thoughts and prayers are with Kathy, Jake, and his family and friends.
David Van Wormer says
Grew up with Darel, all thru Little League he was my only catcher when I pitched, when he came to the mound for no reason it was usually about a girl in the stands. For 12 years we were friends, after school went our separate ways US Steel, Vietnam, move to California, hooked up a few years ago still the same, miss you friend..RIP I know he will.
Jerry Cameron says
We knew Darel for more than 30 years. It was our pleasure when we visited. His droll humor and off the wall sayings were always full of humor. You had to pay attention or you might miss the context of what he might be alluding to. He will be missed and remembered. RIP our friend.
Jo Ann Szostek Nellessen says
Darel and I were born on the same day, in the same hospital, just a few hours apart. We laughed about that connection. He was a sweet boy, full of mischief, but always a good friend. He lived life large and I am glad he did, – Gone too soon. Rest in peace.
Tim Feemster says
I am so glad I knew Darel. He was a very unique individual with a lot of talents. I do like the “Ballad of the Monon Bell”. That game was the total focus of our football team for 4 years. It will be strange to come back to Greencastle and not lift a drink with Darel. He will be missed for a whole lot of things.
Eric Lortz says
Darel was truly a unique individual. I didn’t get to know him well, but when our team events took place he was always there with a smile and his clever wit, which I assumed reflected his pure joy of life. I was always pretty sure that Darel was the smartest guy in the room no matter where he was. And, I often wondered what was going on in his mind as he observed things going on around him. That would have been interesting to know. His life style was something to admire. His home was awesome. We attended a party there one day after a Wabash game and I remember thinking “I could do this!!!” My last words with Darel were at the final dinner of our 50th reunion in Greencastle. We were walking in together and he put his arm around my shoulder and said, “Lortz, when you married Linda James, you outkicked your coverage”. I just smiled and nodded approval and knew exactly what he meant. We will miss you old friend. Rest easy.
Pamela Loveless McRae says
I hope it’s appropriate to say that Darel was my boyfriend for a time at DePauw. I was crazy about him and have never forgotten him, though I only saw him once in the last 50+ years at my dad’s funeral. It’s heartwarming to read all the condolences here. He had a full and interesting life–one of a kind, indeed.