Darlene Mae Truman Herring, 84, passed away on Saturday, August 13, 2016 in Perkins, Oklahoma.

She was born on October 9, 1931 in Milford, Nebraska. When she was two years old she moved in with her parents, George and Lois Truman in Phoenix, Arizona where she attended her first eight years of school. Darlene was the oldest of four daughters.

Her father moved the family to Seattle, Washington in 1945; a couple of years after he returned from overseas. They were there only a short time and settled in Camas, Washington. Darlene finished high school and took her college courses in Seattle graduating in 1949.

While on a visit to Astoria, Oregon, she met Fred Herring Jr. where he was stationed in the U.S. Navy. They were married a short time later. She worked on the base where Fred was until he again went overseas.

She then was employed by a bank and a cannery in Modesto where she was staying with relatives until Fred’s return. Upon Fred’s discharge in 1953, they lived very briefly in Cushing and Chandler, Oklahoma. They moved to Grand Junction, Colorado in 1954. Due to Fred’s employment they travelled through several states.

Darlene and Fred bought their first home in Oklahoma City in 1955. She was employed by the government at the FAA and later transferred to Vance Air Force Base. She and Fred moved to Reno, Nevada and onto Lake Tahoe, California, where they spent the next four years. She worked for the power company.

In 1967, they moved to Everett, Washington and Darlene went back to work for the Boeing Company as a computer operator. She and Fred moved back to Oklahoma City for a year and then bought their farm near Agra, Oklahoma in 1971 where they operated a dairy. During the next six years, they added to their dairy herd and purchased more land. Since Fred was still plumbing, and travelled often, Darlene did all that was required to operate the dairy which included the milking of the cows and field work that was needed. For a short time they had a hired hand, but she also had a large garden and preserved everything she could. She also raised chickens and rabbits and sold them dressed.

When Fred retired in 1986 due to ill health, they travelled for several years and in 1993, she went back to work for a geotechnical engineering company in Montrose, Colorado where she worked ever summer for three years. In 1996, they decided they would spend their winters from then on in Phoenix, Arizona. They had visited there previously and she felt she needed to care for her mother who lived there.

From 1992 to 1997 Darlene and Fred sponsored a “family campout” over Memorial Day weekends on their farm. Darlene worked very hard after coming home from her winter trip to make ready for the family outing. She then had to hurry to Colorado to begin her job by the first week of June. She didn’t mind because she enjoyed the family and friends that came.

In 1994 Darlene began building the family trees; both her side and her husband’s. By the 1997 Memorial Day campout she had a wealth of information for the Herring family regarding their ancestry, and had copies for distribution. She was very pleased that so many were interested in her research.

She is preceded in death by her parents and her husband. Her husband passed away December 25, 2015.

She is survived by her sisters; Marvelle Smith, Veda Kay Schneider and Lovetta Henry; and many, many nieces, nephews and friends.

Her service will be 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, August 20, 2016 at Strode Funeral Home Chapel in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

Interment will follow at Parkland Cemetery.

Strode Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.

Condolences may be emailed to the family and an online obituary may be viewed by visiting www.strodefh.com.