Died November 6, 2020.

Charles City High School, Charles City, IA

Special Education

Obituary:

Darla Joyce Arends, 58, of Charles City, Iowa passed away on Friday, November 6, 2020 at MercyOne in Mason City, Iowa. Visitation will be at Fredregill Funeral & Cremation Care on Tuesday, November 10, 2020 from 5:00 – 7:00 P.M. Her funeral service will be on Wednesday, November 11, 2020 at 2:30 P.M. at the Zearing Christian Church in Zearing with Pastor Adam Koester officiating. Burial will follow in the Lincoln Township Cemetery in Zearing, Iowa.

Darla was born on October 31, 1962 in Iowa City, Iowa to Jake and Maryilyn (Groenewald) Arends. When she was 3 her family moved to Zearing where she attended school. She graduated with the NESCO class of 1983. Darla went to the University of Iowa where she earned her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree. After college she began working as a teacher and worked at Marshalltown High School, Forest City High School, and for the last 20 years worked at Charles City High School as their special educational instructor. Darla was a woman of great faith and often filled in at churches and gave sermons. She was a member of the Alpha Delta Kapa. Darla loved her family and to spend time with them, most especially Jason and her nieces and nephews. She also enjoyed flowers, gardening, baking, crafts, her “babies” cats Grace and Whiskers, and the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Those left to cherish her memory are her siblings Jay (Becky) Arends, Wanda Arends, Carl (Charlotte) Arends, Dale Arends, and Neil Arends; nieces and nephews Jacob (Amber) Arends, Brad (Maggie) Arends, Andrew (Paige) Arends, Justin Mathis, Toni Mathis, Jamie Probstfield, Shannon Price, and Shawn Probstfield, Ashley Arends, and Whitney (Tyler Zimmerman) Arends; 15 great-nieces and nephews; and many close colleagues and friends.

Darla was preceded in death by her parents.