Darlene Marie Ward

Born in Milaca on July 29, 1931, with her beloved twin sister, Dorothy, she was raised on her parent’s farm near Bock. Darlene had an active life, working with her parents and siblings on their farm and attending schools in the Milaca area. She and sister Dorothy were cheerleaders for Milaca High School’s athletic teams, and they graduated in 1949.

Shortly after high school, Darlene was employed by the local newspaper in Princeton, and there she met her future husband, Bernard E. Ward of Princeton. Bernie was called to Army duty in 1950 and stationed at Camp (now Fort) Rucker, Alabama, and Darlene and Bernie were married in Ozark, Alabama, on June 9, 1951. They were joyfully married for 54 years. Returning to Minnesota, they settled in Anoka, moving to Champlin in 1955 and back to Anoka in 1966. They raised four rambunctious sons, and Darlene and Bernie were always in attendance at their sons’ and grandchildren’s school events and sports activities. She took a part-time job with Sears in Anoka in 1963 and finished her 25-year career at the Sears store in the Brookdale Mall in 1988. She and her co-workers, the “Dilly Dollies”, remained life-long friends.

Yearly camping trips and vacations were the family norm, visiting relatives and parks within Minnesota and around the country. In later life, Darlene and Bernie enjoyed weekends in Duluth, daily walks, spirited card games with close friends, and Darlene was always a thoughtful host. A highlight for the family were frequent get-togethers with Rowland relatives in Bock, and yearly Christmas gatherings with her parents and siblings were joyful occasions. She was a wonderful seamstress, sewing many of her sons’ clothes and numerous prize-winning Halloween costumes for “her boys”. She was an avid reader and an enthusiastic participant in her Minnesota Authors Book Club, and regularly attended Mass at St. Stephen’s Church in Anoka.

Darlene was preceded in death by her husband, Bernard; parents Arthur Daniel and Lydia (Sorensen) Rowland; brothers Dale and Wayne, and sisters Alyce Mattson and twin sister Dorothy Helmen. She is survived by her sons Timothy, Patrick (Kathy), Kevin (Julie), and Phillip (Tracy), eight grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren, with one on the way. She was delighted to spend her last New Year’s Eve with her dear friend of many years, Myrna Ward.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Thursday, January 13th, at St. Stephen’s Catholic Church, 525 Jackson St., Anoka, MN 55303. Visitation will be at 10:00 with the funeral at 11:00. A luncheon will be provided at St. Stephen’s following Mass and a graveside ceremony will be conducted immediately following the luncheon.

Fond memories, photos of Darlene, and expressions of sympathy may be shared below for the Ward family.