Ivan Darling

Ivan Darling was a man with high principles and a kind heart, a man who understood the meaning of responsibility, duty, and honor. He served his country bravely during WWII, and dedicated his life to providing for his beloved family. Ivan was deeply loved, and will be deeply missed; the memory of his dedication, strength, and kindness will live on in the hearts of all those whose lives he touched. Ivan Darling Jr. was born in the midst of the Roaring Twenties, on June 29, 1924. He shared his birth year with several historic events, including the first round-the-world flight, the first Winter Olympics, and the first Macy’s Thanksgiving’s Day Parade.

Proud parents Ivan Sr. and Florence (Arnold) Darling welcomed the newest member of their family into the world of Newaygo County, Michigan. Ivan was their first-born, and in the years to come was followed by two younger siblings Clifford and Dorothy. Sadly, Ivan’s mother passed away while her children were still young leaving Ivan to help raise his younger siblings. Ivan Sr. eventually remarried, and before long a half-sister joined the family and Ivan remained close to this brother and sister and now his half sister Lucinda. To help support the family and his siblings who he was helping to raise he sold newspapers and was one of the boys yelling "Extra! Extra!" at the top of his voice (and yes, he did wear knickers!).

The Darling family lived in Millbrook Township of Mecosta County, where Ivan and his siblings grew up on a family farm. When Ivan was a teenager, his family moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Ivan was enrolled in Central High School. He was a talented athlete, playing on the high school football team. Central High fielded an amazing football team at that time and Ivan had the chance to play with famous players such as Sam Affendolus.

After leaving high school, Ivan went on to serve his country by joining the Navy in 1941 where he earned his GED and participated in Golden Gloves Boxing and was trained by Wes Ramsey. He was stationed on various ships in the Pacific during World War II, and attained the rank of Coxswain. Over the 7 years of his service, Ivan was stationed on the U.S.S. Cetus, U.S.S. YP 515, U.S.S. Tawasa, U.S.S. LSM 465 and the U.S.S. LSM 253. Ivan’s father was drafted into the U.S. Army during these years, and at one point he actually came aboard Ivan’s ship and had dinner with his son. Ivan was very proud of serving his country, and in later years would belong to both the VFW and the American Legion.

Honorably discharged and safely back home in the States, Ivan settled down in Grand Rapids and found a job at American Laundry. He became good friends with a co-worker at the laundry, a young lady named Irma Spencer. Ivan and Irma gradually fell in love, and were married on February 26, 1948. This date marked the beginning of a loving and committed relationship that would last for more than four decades.

As the years went by, Ivan and Irma were blessed with 8 children: Bill, Linda, Ike, Gary, Mike, Terry, Claudia, and Ruth. They also opened their door and hearts to Cindy and Jay, two grandchildren, who they also raised. Ivan supported his growing family by working as a roofer for Wierenga Roofing, and by driving a cab for the Veterans Cab Company. The whole family looked forward to Sundays, when Ivan cooked a huge breakfast -- no one ever figured out how he managed to serve everything hot, all at the same time! A softy at heart, Ivan could never stand to punish the kids (he let Irma be the disciplinarian of the family). Tragically, Ivan and Irma lost three sons over the years (Gary, Mike & Ike). Although these were sad and difficult times for the Darling family, they found the strength the pull through together.

Ivan and Irma loved to travel, and made time for small trips whenever they could. Ivan eventually purchased a travel trailer, and the pair began to explore the continental United States. They made a memorable trip down to Alabama with their grandsons, Jay and Michael, and visited many other states as well. Northern Michigan was a favorite destination, and crossing the Mackinac Bridge was always a thrill.

In his free time, Ivan enjoyed reading “Reminisce Magazine,” and couldn’t go a day without the Grand Rapids Press. He loved listening to music, especially Boots Randolph, Louis Armstrong, and Patsy Cline -- “they don’t make music like that anymore,” as Ivan liked to say. He also enjoyed watching football, golf, and Detroit Tigers Baseball which he never missed. He liked to eat his favorite food cream potato or bologna. In 1991 Ivan’s beloved companion Irma passed away, and Ivan moved to Sand Lake Michigan where he lived for the remainder of his life. Ivan loved his family deeply, and even though the family drifted apart, he always asked about each and every one of them.

Principled, hardworking, and kind-hearted, Ivan was a devoted husband, a loving father and grandfather, and a loyal friend. He will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered by his many friends and family members.

Mr. Ivan Darling Jr. died on April 29, 2013, at the age of 88. His wife, Irma M. Darling; and his sons, Ivan Darling III, Gary Darling and Michael Darling, preceded him in death. Ivan’s family includes his children, Bill and ViAnn Darling, Linda Cohn, Claudia and Ken Holton, Terry and Robin Darling, and Ruth and Barry Hoekstra; his granddaughter and care giver, Cindy, and her husband, John Colby; 22 grandchildren; 33 great grandchildren; 2 great great grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews. Funeral services will be held at 3 p.m. on Thursday at the Heritage Life Story Funeral Home, Van Strien -- Creston Chapel, 1833 Plainfield N.E., with Pastor Ryan Black officiating and with Military Honors under the Auspices of the Kent County Veterans Honor Guard. Interment will be in Washington Park Memorial Gardens. Relatives and friends are invited to visit with the family on Thursday day from 1 p.m. until the time of the funeral service. Please visit Ivan’s personal memory page at www.lifestorynet.com, where you can learn more about his life, share a favorite memory or photo, and sign the online guestbook.