John A. Darnell Jr. passed peacefully at home Feb. 23, 2016. John was born Aug. 8, 1955 to John (Al) and Margaret Darnell in Aberdeen, Wash. He grew up at Johns River and graduated from Ocosta High School in 1974.
John went to work for Swanson’s Supermarket when he was 16 years old. He worked there for 30 years. He then went to work for Safeway in Arizona and later transferred to the Tri Cities area where he retired in 2012.
John married Diane Daschofsky and together they raised his son, Ryan, whom he loved very much.
John had a passion for hunting and fishing. He loved to dig clams and share them with others. He enjoyed gardening and his latest hobby was repairing lawn mowers and tractors. He loved going back to his family home to mow the grass. It gave him peace and tranquility. John was a fun loving, outgoing person with a great sense of humor. He made friends easily. He enjoyed riding in the woods, going to the beach and spending time with family and friends.
John is survived by his wife, Diane, son Ryan and sisters, Arline (Tom) Heath, Peggy Jimenez, Debbie (Jim) Bradley; brother Mike (Bashia) Darnell; nephews Jeremy and Shane Watkins, Keaton Bradley, Frank, John and Tony Darnell, Mike and Ben Nelson; great-nieces, Kellie, Emily, Maggie and Shaynnea Watkins.
John is preceded in death by his parents and sister, Connie Jacobson, and nephew Michael Bronson.
We would like to thank his close friend Dave Dycus who was always there for John during his illness.
John, we will miss you dearly, love you always and keep you in our hearts forever.
A celebration of life will be held Saturday, March 12, 2016 at 1 p.m. at the Cosmopolis Lions Club with a potluck luncheon immediately following.
Please share memories of John at mccombwagner.com