Darlene B Harrison

Darlene (Barkley) Harrison was born on September 21, 1924, in rural Garden City, South Dakota, to Charles and Dora (Hanson) Barkley. She passed away on May 7, 2022, at Royal Oaks Senior Living Center in Sun City, Arizona, the city she made her home for over forty years. She is preceded in death by her parents, a baby brother, her stepmother Fern (Wookey) Barkley, her husband Jack, and her sister Carleton Dyce.

Music was an integral part of her life. She played piano and sang in the Garden City Methodist Church with her mother and sister. After graduating from Dakota Wesleyan, in Mitchell, SD, she began teaching in Austin, Minnesota. There she met and married Jack Harrison. Both loved music and for decades enjoyed playing in big bands. In her later years at Royal Oaks she especially enjoyed playing piano in the evenings for residents in the third floor lounge.

Darlene and Jack enjoyed traveling throughout the nation to various music union conventions. In later years Darlene took several trips to Europe and Caribbean cruises, sharing two wonderful trips with her sister to the New England states and to Switzerland.

Darlene taught grades three and six and later music therapy in the Austin School System. When she and Jack moved to Sun City in 1980, Darlene shared her music therapy talent at Skysac and volunteered at the libraries in Sun City and later at Royal Oaks.

Darlene is lovingly remembered by two nephews and a niece who were encouraged and inspired by Darlene and Jack’s love of music: Darwin (Lori) Dyce of Ghent, MN, Dennis ( LaVonne Carlson) Dyce of Minneapolis, MN, and Doretta (David) Reisenweber of Duluth, MN.

Her cremains will be interred next to her husband’s at Sunland Memorial Park, 15826 N Del Webb Blvd., Sun City, AZ. To send condolences to the family please visit www.SunlandMemorial.com.