Darlene Rayburn

Darlene Rayburn, 84 years old, went home to be with her Lord and Savior on August 11th, 2021 in Lubbock, TX. She was delivered by her grandmother in Mertzon, TX on July 5, 1937 in a two room house with no modern facilities; her 3.75 lb. arrival completed family of six.

To know Darlene, was to love her whole heartedly and be loved in return. She was sweet, kind and oh so much more! She was honest, funny, authentic, and didn’t mind telling you what she thought. She loved her family and prayed powerful prayers that never wavered in her love and trust in the Lord.

Darlene found pleasure in the simple things of life such as spending time with family, reading her devotions, doing her crossword puzzles (even though she often looked at the back for the answers), watching her shows, playing cards with friends, or getting her hair done.

She attended school in Borger, TX and West Texas State University in Canyon.

Darlene and her husband, Jack worked at the Presbyterian Children’s Home and Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch in Amarillo. She later retired from BSA Hospital in Amarillo, then moved to Lubbock to be closer to family. To keep herself busy, she worked part-time for a while at WestMark Realtors. She was an active member of First Church of the Nazarene; she sang in the choir, was a member of the Ages

& Stages Sunday School Class, the Wednesday night Bible Study and also served on the missionary council for many years as an active member of the prayer team.

Darlene would volunteer for any and everything, even earning the Distinguished Service Award. Anyone who knew her would probably describe her with at least one, if not all of these words: Christ-like, loving, stubborn, tough as nails, supportive, encouraging, fierce, compassionate and resilient. It was evident in the way she fought through obstacles in life, personally and physically.

She reared her children with discernment from the Lord. Her broad shoulders showed pride in her children, with unwavering love spoken with actions and truth (like her birthday cards that underlined all the important words). Everywhere you looked in her apartment you would find a picture of one of the grandchildren, most of her passwords have something to do with a grandchild, she always went to any sporting event she could, and was always their biggest cheerleader. She impacted everyone’s life, more than she realized. For Darlene it was always about family, she knew the things of this Earth did not matter. Her legacy will live on in her family's love for the Lord and she will always be remembered as we sit around the table for her famous biscuits and chocolate gravy, candy popcorn and chocolate pie (she really enjoyed chocolate). We are saddened that our beloved Matriarch is no longer physically with us, yet we find comfort in knowing that she is with Jesus and that “The only scars in Heaven are on the One who holds her now.” She lived for her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren; being a grandmother was her most prized title, outside of being a child of God.

Darlene was preceded in death by her parents, Troy and Pauline (Berry) Renfroe; and brother, Eddie Renfroe.

Those left to cherish her memories are her three children: Carla Powell and husband Wayne of Canyon, LaDona Farinacci and husband George of San Antonio, and David Rayburn and wife Beverly of Lubbock; six grandchildren: Carrie Miliara and husband Josh, Brady Lunceford, Loren Henderson and husband Kit, Dimare Farinacci, Clay Rayburn and Natalie Rayburn; three great-grandchildren: Shelby Miliara, Jacob Miliara and Tatum Ray Henderson; two brothers, Raymond Renfroe and wife Dolores and Darrell Renfroe and wife Kathy.

The family would like to thank all of her medical team who have supported her through the years, she quickly became everyone’s ‘Grandmother’.

Visitation will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., Monday, August 16, 2021 at Resthaven Funeral Home. A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 10:00 a.m., Tuesday, August 17, 2021 at Resthaven’s Abbey Chapel. Interment will follow at Resthaven Memorial Park. Please visit www.resthavenfuneralhome.com for online tributes.

In celebration of Darlene, please wear something BLUE; her favorite color or as she would say, “the color she looked best in” (even though she was beautiful in any color).

For her years of service and love of missions, in lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Missions Department of First Church of the Nazarene, Lubbock TX.