Darlene Koehn

Darlene Smith Koehn was born August 9, 1924 at Fairview, Oklahoma.  She was the oldest of six children born to Dan and Alice Smith.  She passed away Thursday, January 5, 2017 at Bethel Home, Montezuma, Kansas.

She, with her parents, lived a few years at Fairview, and then moved to Copeland, Kansas during the dust bowl years.  She remembered that they hung wet sheets over the windows to keep the dust out so they could sleep.  They moved to Ringwood, Oklahoma in approximately 1935.  She received her education in the country schools in those areas.

She gave her heart to the Lord and was baptized into the Church of God in Christ Mennonite by Minister John A. Koehn at Goltry, Oklahoma, on February 8, 1938.  She remained faithful to the end.

Darlene was occupied with beneficial pursuits I her life.  She provided home care help for mothers and their newborn babies, often being gone for weeks at a time.  When she was over 30 years old she took home course studies and received her GED certificate.  She was a cook in her parents' café in Goltry, OK for six years.  The family remembers her good Sunday dinners.

On the snowy morning of February 11, 1972, she married Herman P. Koehn from Chickasha, Oklahoma.  She worked side by side with Herman tending to the cattle and farming.  In later years they enjoyed fishing together.

In the early 90's they built a home in the Montezuma, KS area to be close to Bethel home when needed.  They enjoyed 24 years of marriage before Herman passed away on June 16, 1996, which left her very lonely.  She then lived at Verden, Oklahoma until February 23, 2009, when she moved to an assisted living facility at Bethel Home, Montezuma, KS.  Here she was lovingly cared for until her passing.  The family thanks everyone at the Bethel Home for the love and wonderful care given her.  May God bless each one.

Surviving her are one brother, Don Smith and his wife, Lavera, of Chickasha, OK;

two sisters:  Gladys and her husband, Paul Nightingale, of Chickasha, OK;

Fern Koehn of Castle Rock, CO;

1 sister-in-law, Mavis Smith of Chickasha, OK;

2 step-sons:  Chester Koehn of Arthur, IL;

Willard Koehn and his wife, Luella, of Chickasha, OK;

Those preceding her in death are her parents, her husband, one brother, one sister, one stepson and one stepdaughter-in-law.