Huella Frances Griffith Darling

The Darling family of Thermopolis, WY, has lost its matriarch. Huella Francis (Griffith) Darling passed from this life on Dec. 2 at the Hot Springs County Memorial Hospital, surrounded by family members, Janet Chementi, and Dr. W. Travis Bomengen. She was 97 years old and had been suffering from heart and renal failure. After a lifetime of mostly good health, she was ready for the next stage of her journey. Huella Darling was a teacher, a life-long learner, nature lover, world traveler, informed visionary, relationship builder, and lover of ice cream, who hailed from the Show-Me state of Missouri. She was also a wife, mother, grandmother, and active great grandmother. Huella was born on a farm in northern Missouri on July 16, 1923, to Richard Hugh (1898-1971) and Nelle (Shaw) Griffith (1900-1996). Her parents were farmers in the years before electricity and in-door plumbing. Her first family portrait shows a dark eyed baby with dark hair, and the second one three years later in contrast with her sister's lighter hair and blue eyes, Dorothy Mae (1926-2000). In school, Huella was such a good student that she was accelerated by two years in elementary. She had to leave home at age 12 to live in Trenton, MO, for high school, graduating at 16 in 1939, and she earned her A.A. degree and teaching certificate at age 18 which qualified her to teach in one-room schools like the one where she had started out and her mother before her had taught in. Huella's first job was teaching 28 kids in all the grades. In summer she took business classes at North Missouri Normal School and Commercial College in Kirksville, Missouri (now Truman State University), and by her third teaching year, she had moved on to Business Education at the Rushville high school. In the early 1940s Huella started having a social life. Cousins went out as a group. Cousins Fontaine and Ruthie were really good at doing the jitterbug. They all partied, but there was no drinking (they were Baptists). When she stayed in St. Joseph, MO. with her aunt, she took in Big Bands, groups like The Ink Spots, Tommy Dorsey, Glen Miller. In 1942, she left teaching to become an executive secretary in Kansas City, which she enjoyed. In 1944 Huella went to Kirksville to finish her B.A. She worked for the head of the History Department, typing and grading for $.25 per hour, which paid for her food. Kirksville attracted Vets on the G.I. Bill. Martin E. Darling (Dec. 12, 1924 – Oct. 6, 2009) needed help in accounting and borrowed Huella's homework after going hunting instead of studying one weekend. He thought he owed her something, so he asked her to dinner for their first date. That led to group dating and courtship. Huella finished her degree in 1946 and moved back to Kansas City to work for Donally's Garment Company in accounting. She was happy with her new job. She and Martin continued seeing each other. To get married, he sold his car so he could buy her a ring. They were married May 28, 1947. Their first child, Patricia Ann, came along in 1948. Six months later Martin was on the phone with a superintendent from Basin, Wyoming, who offered him his first job. The hunting and fishing and lack of population in the Big Horn Mountains were the main attractions. He said "Yes," so they needed to buy a car and move across the country. Huella Francis came to live the rest of her life (except for 1953-54 when they lived in Lincoln, NE and worked for State Farm Insurance) in Wyoming, mostly near the Big Horn Basin. Martin was a basketball coach as well as teacher, and Huella taught business classes. They made lifelong friends and enjoyed camping trips and Yellowstone. Deborah Donnell Darling came to them in Basin in December 1952. Returning to teaching in 1954, they came to Douglas, WY. Martin taught Social Studies in the junior high, and Huella was the Business Education department. Their friends from Basin, Jim and Lenore Durkee and their family, moved to Douglas, so Martin had his hunting buddy, and Huella her best friend. Huella's father liked to come from Missouri to work at the Wyoming State Fair. One highlight from the Douglas years was Martin's job as a summer forest ranger for the Medicine Bow National Forest where the family had three cabins and a jeep and could roam the whole park. Another ranger's dog decided she preferred the Darling family, so that's how Lady and later her nine black Labrador puppies joined the family. A year later Mary Jane Darling was born in May, 1958. 1960 brought them to Thermopolis, where they started working on Master's degrees. Huella got excited about computers and could see how they would become essential to business and government. Her Master's from Colorado State University was in Computer Science. It would take the Thermopolis school district ten more years before they bought computers for her teaching. Martin got his degree in Library Science and eventually became the high school librarian. Huella was active in Wyoming and national Business and Vocational Education organizations, and the conferences took them all over the country. She served as President and board member of Mountain Plains Business Association and Wyoming Business Education Association. She received recognition and awards from State Teacher of Teachers, Wyoming Business Education, Future Farmers of America, and National Business Education Association. She was a member of Delta Pi Epsilon (honorary Business Education society) and believed in their motto: "I touch the future, I teach." She took pride in touching the lives of so many students over the years. She also belonged to PEO, Delta Kappa Gamma where she served as officer at the state and local levels, Women's Auxiliary (V.F.W.), the Hospital Auxiliary, DECCA, and was a member of Community Federated Methodist Church. She was also a lifelong Democrat and served as delegate to the state convention. Huella taught typing, shorthand, office practice, computer skills, and was the head of her department at Hot Springs County High School, as well as sponsor for 30 years of the National Honor Society and Future Business Leaders of America. She loved her students and encouraged them to make good decisions about life and work. She always thought of herself as a working woman and was on a crusade for business and vocational education. Huella retired after 46 years of teaching in 1990 when Martin threatened to go on adventure trips without her. In retirement they finished their quest of exploring 48 of the 50 states and world travel to the British Isles, Spain, Morocco, New Zealand, Australia, and Canal. They were big fans of going to Alaska and Hawaii. Huella kept track of her cousins and relatives, as well as all the families and students she connected with at school. Her address book was her most valuable possession, and she used it to call and write people to stay in touch. She loved receiving Christmas cards and letters from her extensive network. Her hobbies included playing bridge, reading novels, needlepointing, fly fishing and looking for rocks and American Indian artifacts. She collected Western art and antiques. She provided generous support to her children and grandchildren. As long as her parents were alive, Huella made yearly summer trips to the farm, and she wanted her children to experience country life. After retirement, she made yearly trips to Jamesport, MO, and Green Valley, AZ, where she and Martin wintered in the early 2000s. By the time she became a widow in 2009, her youngest daughter, Jane Norskog and her children were living in Thermopolis. Cassandra Norskog's Allyssa and Roberta and David Norskog's Torin and Zennin Sosa became her joy in her last ten years. The in-town family was often joined by the Colorado branch (Deb Harrison and family) and the Minnesotans (Pat Darling and family). Her daughters and "other daughter by another mother" Janet Chementi made sure she could still travel to Arizona and Missouri. Huella Darling is survived by her daughters, Pat Darling, Deb Harrison, and Jane Norskog, son-in-law's Roger Grabowski (Pat) and Dan Harrison; grandchildren Donovan, Patrick (and Jenny Korner), and John (and Miranda) Grabowski; Jeff (and Kate) Harrison, Stephanie (and Joe) Muhlbauer, and Christy (and Dan) Bubenheim; and Cassandra, David, and Daniel Norskog. Great Grandchildren McKinley, Justin, and Jacob Muhlbauer; Allyssa and Roberta Hough; Torin Norksog and Christian Craig; and Henrik Darling-Grabowski; niece Anastasia Ward, who lives in Germany; and her cat and companion Opie. She is preceeded in death by her husband, Martin E Darling (d. 2009); her parents Nelle and Hugh Griffith and sister Dorothy Porter. Memorial / Life Celebration is planned for July 11, 2021, in Thermopolis, WY. Bryant Funeral Home in Worland prepared her cremation. To honor Huella Darling, in lieu of flowers, financial gifts can be sent to the ENDOWMENT EDUCATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP Endowment Fund at P.O. Box 1297, Thermopolis, WY, 82443, marked for Huella and Martin Darling. The scholarship fund helps local high school graduates with their college and vocational degrees. Cards and letters of condolence and favorite memories can be sent to Darling's, 1122 Broadway, Thermopolis, WY, 82443. Memories will be read at the Life Celebration in July.