Darlene Fern Kaufman

August 2, 1932 - April 19, 2020

Darlene Fern Kaufman, age 87 of Mt. Carroll Illinois died Sunday, April 19th 2020 at Mercy One Health Care Clinton Iowa. A private family funeral service will be held at the First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Mt. Carroll with Parson Bob Stark officiating. Burial will be in Oak Hill Cemetery, Mt Carroll. You may watch from your home on Facebook Live 10:30 am Friday, April 24, 2020, or anytime after, by going to the funeral home Facebook page and joining Darlene’s group ahead of time. A later memorial service will be announced, and will be held at First Lutheran Church Mt. Carroll. A memorial has been established in Darlene’s name. Friends and family are also invited to share in Darlene’s life at lawjonesfuneralhome.com. Darlene was born on August 2nd 1932 in Mt Carroll Il, the daughter of Elmer and Lillian Mummert Smith. Darlene became a member of Mt. Carroll Evangelical Church in 1948 and was baptized the same year. Darlene married her husband Don April 23rd 1951 at First Evangelical Church in Mt. Carroll. She resided in her home, south of Mt. Carroll on Rte. 78. The older generation would know this to be Daggett and her house was across from the Daggett Store. She lived there most of her life. Darlene raised her family and then started working later in life, retiring from Furnas Electric in Morrison, IL in 1993. Before that she had also worked at Leslie-Lock in Mt. Carroll, and while attending school, she worked weekends at the “Y-Knot” in Mt. Carroll. Her husband, Don, passed away on July 31st, 2004. Before Don’s passing, she loved to travel to different areas of the country. They took many fishing trips to Minnesota with their kids and grandkids. Darlene had a love for her Church. She served the Church in many capacities and had a love for serving others. Darlene had a knack for keeping friends and others around the community engaged in activities from cooking and socializing to going to area events together. She never wanted to sit around and feel sorry for herself after her husband died, and she kept in motion all of the time. Darlene loved to shop, and she loved her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. Putting these two loves together gave her the opportunity the shop for everybody. She thought and planned for every holiday and birthday event. She loved to cook for her family and never wanted anyone to leave hungry from her home. She made it her business to keep in contact with all the friends that she met and was rewarded back, by having so many friends in her lifetime. Darlene is survived by her three sons, Steven (Barbara) Kaufman of Thomson, Il, Ron (Phyllis) Kaufman of Fulton, Il, and Brian (Penny) Kaufman of Thomson, Il; six grandchildren, Mindy (Jack) Swanson, John Kaufman (Amy Fry), Sarah (Adam) Brondyke, Laura Kaufman, Cassandra Vos, and Kaylee Thompson. She also had 6 great grandchildren; one brother, Floyd “Bud” (Charleen) Smith of Clinton, IA; two special nieces, Linda Rathje of Sabula, IA and Judy Oberg of Dixon, IL; and a special, close relative, Marjorie Mummert of Lanark, IL. She was proceeded in death by her husband, Don; both parents; one brother Clyde Smith; and one sister Dorothy Rogers.