Darlene Marie (Schreiner) Johnson went to be with her Heavenly Father on October 12th, 2018, in Nampa, Idaho. Funeral services will be at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 18, 2018, at the First Church of the Nazarene in Nampa, Idaho. 601 16th Ave S. Nampa, ID 83651.
Arrangements are under the direction of the Nampa Funeral Home, Yraguen Chapel where an online guest book is available at www. nampafuneralhome.com Darlene was born in Ontario, Oregon, on September 6, 1962. Her parents were George and Ruth (Beulah) Schreiner.
Darlene was the youngest of eleven children. After spending her early childhood in Ontario, the family moved to Nampa, Idaho. In her youth, Darlene was active in the Junior ROTC and Job’s Daughters.
Her activities as a young woman would set the stage for a very community minded businesswoman. As fate would have it, Darlene connected with the love of her life, Doug Johnson, at the local drag races at Firebird Raceway. It was nearly a story of “the one that got away”, until Doug realized his folly and made things right by asking Darlene out on a date to the Red Steer.
Soon thereafter, he “sealed the deal” with the promise of a trip to the coast (honeymoon style). They were wed July 1st, 1983 at the First Christian Church in Nampa, Idaho. They welcomed two sons into this union, Daniel and Patrick.
They celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary this summer. Darlene worked in printing her whole life. Her Mother, Ruth, was part owner in Nampa Offset Printing where she learned the business and then worked at Downtown Printing for 15 years.
She moved to Thorne’s Printing in 1993 working as a customer sales representative. In February of 1995 with the encouragement of Doug and several other friends and family members she opened Darlene’s Printing in Downtown Nampa. Doug told her she had six months to have the shop pay its way.
She did it in three. After two years of business she was so busy she tripled her staff and in 1999 moved the shop across the street to its present location. It has remained a pillar of the business community ever since.
In 2012 when she turned 50 she decided it was time to cross another dream off her bucket list; becoming a Realtor. She received her license in December of 2012 and immediately went to work for Happy Dog Realty with her longtime friend as broker, Carolyn Sinnard. In September of 2016 she moved over to Real Estate Unlimited in Nampa with Dave Dykstra as broker.
In her short 6 years of real estate she has sold millions of dollars, has made every client family and has always managed to keep a smile on her face. Darlene loved her community and the people living in it. She was a member of many clubs and organizations throughout the years including, the Nampa Chamber of Commerce, Soroptimist Club, Nampa Kiwanis, Nampa Association of Realtors and one of the first Champions for the Boys and Girls Club.
She has served on several boards, committees, and advisory councils and has planned and executed many events. Darlene was a notorious “connector”. She knew the right person for the job.
She had many contacts in her phone, all with little notes about what they did, why they did it, and how much they charged. She would constantly get phone calls at the print shop that had nothing to do with printing including fixing potholes, where they could get a PO Box, and what they needed to do with their weekend. And she answered all of those calls.
There wasn’t anything she couldn’t accomplish if she put her mind to it. Darlene was a superhero to her family and friends. She lived life to the fullest and embodied the “work hard, play hard” motto.
Her laugh was infectious, her smile was contagious, and her love for travel knew no bounds. She recently bought an RV as a surprise for Doug for their 35th Wedding Anniversary this past summer. Her oldest Grandson, Logan named it Larry and out of the 12 weeks they owned it, they went places 8 weeks out of the 12.
Her favorite color was red, and you could usually spot her in her red Cadillac or her red VW Bug, running around town well over the speed limit and talking on the phone. Of all her accomplishments she was most proud of her family. She loved her husband Doug with all her heart and raised two wonderful boys, Daniel and Patrick.
She was always available for them and did all the little things that mattered. When her Daughter in laws came about she opened her arms out to them, wrapped them in a hug and never looked back. She was the embodiment of love and showed it to her family on a daily basis.
Her grandkids filled up the spaces in her heart and she loved them more than anything else. There were no strangers in Darlene’s life. Once you set foot in her home, you were family.
Her unexpected departure leaves a hole in the heart of Nampa and all who knew and loved her. Darlene’s death was preceded by her parents. She is survived by her husband Doug, sons – Daniel and Patrick, daughters (in-law) Chelsea and Kim, and three wonderful grandchildren Logan, Landon and Brook.
If you would like to honor Darlene, she loved colorful arrangements. Then she would tell you to get out there and find a cause and better your community. Give someone a hug and encourage them to follow their dreams.
And most of all, love each other as God loves you.
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