Darlene Alice Sartorio

Born in Unity, Saskatchewan, Darlene Sartorio (nee Houchen) lived a life as richly coloured as the quilts she loved to make.

Darlene spent her early life on the Prairies, the much-loved daughter of Bert and Frances Houchen, and sister to Sherry Greenwald. She was a happy child and a popular teenager; with friends admiring her bright spirit and her sense of humour. After completing high school, Darlene spent a year in Toronto before moving West to Vancouver, BC. There she married her high-school sweetheart, Vern O’Donnell, and had two sons, Kevin and Chris (Jonah).

Darlene thrived on the West Coast. She raised her boys in Nanaimo, supporting them in their individual pursuits as well as arranging family time, both on the Coast and through yearly Saskatchewan visits to keep in touch with their family and prairie roots.

In the summer, Darlene was often seen beachside in a two-piece bathing suit or on a golf course in her signature white jeans. In the winter, she could be spotted on the slopes of Mount Washington, skiing with friends and family. In all seasons, Darlene was a faithful churchwoman, attending services and volunteering at Trinity United Church, Nanaimo.

Darlene lost her husband Vern to cancer in 1996, after serving as his caregiver for three years. She painfully stitched her life back together, volunteering at the Nanaimo Hospice Society and the Haven House Thrift store, and welcoming two grandchildren, Thomas and Maia O’Donnell. She also travelled abroad, visiting Jonah in Taiwan and Kevin and his family in Japan. There is one photo of Darlene, riding on the back of Jonah’s scooter in Taipei, where she is smiling with true enjoyment – a great accomplishment for a woman who had suffered the loss of a much-beloved husband.

There was more love and happiness ahead for Darlene – she married Frank Sartorio in 2005. While married to Frank, Darlene welcomed a new grandchild, Claire. These years were filled with volunteering, friendship and quilting – Darlene joined the Quilting guild at Jonanco, crafting works of warm beauty for friends, family, and an uncountable number of babies. When you visited her house, there was always a quilting project on the go – fabric and colours carefully matched to reflect the interests and tastes of the recipient.

Darlene travelled to Saskatchewan with her son, Kevin, in 2016. It was her last trip there, a time to revisit the places and people that had been so closely interwoven with her life.

When Frank died in late 2020, Darlene turned to her family and friends for care and support. She continued quilting, now choosing the colours that she loved best, crafting patterns that sometimes resembled the orderly grid of a prairie field, or the swirl of green water against Vancouver Island’s rocky shores.

Darlene passed away at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital, a victim of frailty and time. In her last days, a quilt of her own creation was placed over her, to keep her warm and protect her on her journey onwards.

She will be missed by her two sons, Kevin and Jonah, her daughter-in-law Kimberley, her grandchildren, Thomas, Maia and Claire, and her friends. May the quilts Darlene made, the gifts of her hands and her creative spirit, shelter and comfort whomever receives them, for decades to come.