Services
Obituary
Darlene Faye (Weyker) Adam, 87, died Thursday, July 21, 2022, in Crossville, Tennessee. She was born November 13, 1934, in Clarion, Iowa, to Jessie Faye (Crawford) and John Weyker.
Darlene was the sixth of seven Weyker kids. She thought the world of her three sisters and three brothers. Her early years in Clarion offered plenty of opportunities for fun with family and friends. She especially cherished July 4th family picnics at Lake Cornelia, complete with fishing, swimming, and a ride in cousin Adrain’s boat.
After high school, Darlene moved to Des Moines where she attended Grandview Community College and Drake University. She married Alan Adam, MD, and moved to Milwaukee, then Ridgeway, Pennsylvania. For many years, she raised, trained, and showed Rottweilers—Bingo was her favorite.
After she and Alan divorced, Darlene moved to Greensboro, North Carolina, to be closer to her younger brother Jerry. She attended night school at Guilford College and in 1988, at the age of 55, Darlene earned her bachelor’s in Administrative Science with a major in accounting. She was extremely proud of this achievement.
She worked for 20 years as an Administrative Officer at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro where she performed accounting duties for the Education Research Laboratory.
When Darlene retired, she moved to Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. She enjoyed small-town life in her cozy house, with a dog (Vixen and Honey Bear) or cat (Kitty) to keep her company. She felt right at home on the Cumberland Plateau and made many great friends over the years. Brenda, in particular, became like a daughter to her.
Darlene was passionate about a wide variety of activities. She took art classes, dressed impeccably, enjoyed good restaurants, attended local theater, and painted lovely ceramic items for family members. She attended countless Indy car races in person and knew several drivers. And of course, she never missed the Westminster dog show on TV. She also loved to travel, especially to Clarion, Des Moines, Destin, Las Vegas, and Kansas City.
Aunt Dar spoiled her nieces and nephews when they were young with trips to the movie theater or beauty salon. She surprised one niece (and her parents!) with two rescue dogs—fortunately not at the same time. And every Christmas, Aunt Dar sent beautifully wrapped gifts addressed with her graceful handwriting to each home. One niece fondly remembers a green velvet dress and instamatic camera.
Even better than her gifts was her interest in what all the young people were up to. She would ask her nieces and nephews (and later her great nieces and nephews) what they wanted to be when they grew up. How their classes were going. And what they thought of the latest computer software. Aunt Dar advised them on careers, pets, politics and even popular culture. She helped one niece understand when it was time to get over her Elvis crush and move on to Pat Boone.
Darlene also retained vivid recollections of all the places, people and pets she had known and loved over the years. In her last few months, she wished she could just leave the hospitals behind and sit on a beach with an ice-cold coke surrounded by her family and beloved pets. It’s no surprise that she requested a final resting place near her parents and extended family in Clarion.
Darlene was preceded in death by her parents and siblings: Donald (Annette) Weyker, Mary (Buck) English, June (Ronnie) Fielder, Maxine (Bill) O’Brien, Bud (Wilma) Weyker, Jerry (Margaret/Charlotte) Weyker. She also leaves behind four nieces and two nephews, plus nine great nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Darlene’s honor to your favorite charity or the Clarion Congregational United Church of Christ. A private service will be held in the spring of 2023.