Darlene Y. Wallace

DARLENE YVONNE WALLACE, 87, of Chesterfield Township, passed away April 3, 2020. Born November 18, 1932 in Rapid City, South Dakota to Jack and Evelyn Fillingham. She was preceded in death by her loving husband of 61 years, Captain William (Bill) R. Wallace; parents; sister Chyree Plehal and sister-in-law, Rue Fillingham. She is survived by her brother, Gary Fillingham of Springfield, TN; brother-in-law, William (Bill) Plehal of Tampa, FL; two sons, Bruce Wallace of Lathrup Village, MI and Bret Wallace of Sarasota, FL; three daughters, Kim (Greg) Bates of Lansing, MI, Tam (Jeff) Bradford of Ira Township, MI and Jill (John) Herndon of St. Clair Shores, MI; five grandchildren: Ali Herndon of St. Clair Shores, MI, Cole Herndon of St. Clair Shores, MI, Jack Herndon of St. Clair Shores, MI, Michael Bradford of Ira Township, MI, and Michael Bates of Los Angeles, CA; and great grandson Broden Bates of Los Angeles, CA. Darlene never learned how to swim, but that did not stop her from embracing one of her favorite pastimes of boating with family and friends. She and her husband became members of the North Channel Yacht Club (NCYC) in 1991 and spent most weekends on the island. They were active members of the club and Darlene served as president of the First Mates in 2003. Prior to boating, Darlene was an avid camper and enjoyed annual camping trips with the family. In 1966, when packing the family (husband, five kids and one dog) into a station wagon for their annual camping trip, they discovered they could no longer fit all the camping gear in the car and still have room for the five kids. So, in a desperate search to find a small box trailer to help carry the gear, they settled for an old aluminum 14-foot boat to haul their gear. Darlene and Bill had no intentions of ever putting the boat in the water, but with pressure from the kids, the boat was launched and their passion for boating was born. They eventually bought a house on the water so they could dock their boat behind the house. Darlene was an active member of the Catholic Church her entire life and attended St. Mary Queen of Creation Catholic Church in New Baltimore. She lived the last 6 years of her life at the Villages of East Harbor. She enjoyed singing with the Harbor Lights Choir and being a member of the Spelling Bee Club. She made many new friends. Darlene made her co-workers, friends, family and husband feel special and loved. She embraced life and always taught by example. She will be dearly missed by all who knew her. A celebration of life will be scheduled at a later date due to the stay-at-home order. Arrangements in care of Jowett Funeral Home – 57737 Gratiot, New Haven. View obituary and share memories at www.jowettfuneraldirectors.com

Darlene Y. Wallace

November 18, 1932 - April 3, 2020