"Bill" Ol Long Darden Obituary (1949 - 2021)

Ol Long (Bill) Darden III, age 71, passed away on January 1, 2021, in Roy, Utah. He was born in Midland, Texas, on June 28, 1949 to Ol Long Darden Jr. and Neva Rae Darden. He was the second of three children. When Bill was 2 years old the family moved to Lubbock, Texas, where they raised their family at 2708 27th Street. He played Little League baseball in his youth and was a great pitcher. Bill graduated from Monterey High School and attended South Plains College for a year before enlisting in the Air Force. He served in Alaska and North Dakota from 1969-1973. Concluding his military service he married Catherine Gobel and attended Texas Tech University. Bill remained an avid Red Raider football and basketball fan. Bill and his young family left West Texas and resided in Westminster and then Arvada, Colorado. He later returned to Lubbock where he lived until 2005 when he moved to Utah to be closer to his adult children and grandchildren. Bill's career included multiple sales positions and concluded with over 15 years of employment in Maintenance at Wal-Mart. He was a humble man with a strong testimony of Jesus Christ. He grew up attending the Disciples of Christ Church and joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints while serving in the military. He loved his children deeply and adored his grandchildren. He was a member of AA, drew much strength from the Twelve Steps Program, and shared his experiences to strengthen others in recovery. He loved college football, classic rock, American ideals, talk radio, and a good joke. He is survived by his sister, Jeanne Brunner; children: David (Heidi) Darden, Amy (Brandon) Handy, Matthew Darden; and four grandchildren: Jillyan, Jocelyn, Ryland, and McKenzie. Bill is preceded in death by his parents, and his brother, Sam. Funeral services will be held Monday, January 11, 2021 at 11 a.m. at Myers Mortuary, 250 North Fairfield Road, Layton, Utah. Family and friends may gather from 10-10:40 a.m. prior to services. Interment will be at Utah Veterans Memorial Park at 1:30 p.m. where military honors will be accorded. Services will be live streamed. Due to COVID 19 restrictions, precautions, Masks are Required by those who attend. Please also adhere to social distancing practices. Attendance numbers may be determined by local or state guidelines. If you have any symptoms, please respect the health of others by returning home and calling upon the family at another time.