Darrell Dean Whitlock

Darrell was born on December 24, 1941 in Mercedes, Texas to his parents, William Edgar and Luella Anne (née Bruggeman) Whitlock. He graduated from Texas A & I University in 1965 with a BA in Government. He was a charter member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity and an active member of the ROTC program.

After college, Darrell served as an officer in the U.S. Army from 1965 to 1969. He completed Air Defense Officer training at Fort Bliss, Texas; Airborne training at Fort Benning, Georgia; and was deployed to Vietnam where he served as part of the 6th Battalion, 56th Artillery. Achieving the rank of Captain and receiving multiple commendations for meritorious service, he returned to the United States where he was stationed at Homestead Air Force Base, Florida from November of 1967 until his honorable discharge in December of 1969.

He met the love of his life, Carol Ann Stoneberger in Miami, Florida and they were married on July 6, 1968. They bought their first house in West Palm Beach Gardens in February, 1970 and Darrell began a long career in the food service industry, starting as an Area Supervisor for the Burger King Corporation. He worked for The Krystal Corporation as an Area Manager in Jacksonville, Florida (1971-1982); Director of Operations for Southern Foods Services in Chattanooga, Tennessee (1982-1983); Regional Director of Operations and Director of Management, Development and Training for Po Folks Inc in Nashville, Tennessee (1983-1985); Regional Vice President for Banditree, Inc in Round Rock, Texas (1985-1986), President, Favorite Foods (1986-1990), and as President, Discover Products Incorporated (1990-2008). Mr. Whitlock retired in 2008 and dedicated his remaining years to spending time with his grandchildren, swimming in the pool, working in his workshop and helping in the garden.

Darrell was a skilled tinkerer and prolific inventor who enjoyed working with computers and using his hands to build and fix things. He maintained a large workshop where he designed, built and marketed multiple educational products. In 1981 he was awarded a patent for Fling-a-Ring, a lawn game that is a combination of horseshoes and frisbee and was sold in toy stores around the United States.

Darrell was a member of the American Legion, the Moose Lodge, a Boy Scout troop leader and an avid Longhorns fan. One of his favorite hobbies was flying model rockets, planes and helicopters.

Darrell is survived by his wife, his daughter and son-in-law, Heather and Brandin Hays of Leander, Texas, his son and daughter-in-law, Troy Whitlock and Jennifer Ibanez of Belmont, California; his sister Jann Schroeder; his two grandchildren Megan and Ashlynn Michaud and numerous nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his brothers Bryson and Donald Whitlock.

A memorial service will take place on September 24 at 10:00 a.m. at Cook-Walden Davis Funeral Home in Georgetown, Texas. All are welcome to attend and celebrate Darrell’s life. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Disabled American Veterans Charitable Service Trust (dav.org) or Wreaths Across America (www.wreathsacrossamerica.org).