John Darling

John Darling, was a wonderful teacher and every class with him seemed to inspire an idea. For me Mr. Darling inspired with the gift of theater, language and kindness. He facilitated a trip for our entire English class to a weekend of 4 plays, at the Ashland Shakespeare Festival. That love of theater changed my life. I eventually became an associate designer at the Royal Shakespeare Company in London. I was fortunate enough to also receive an Academy award nomination as well. All of this, because John instilled the love of the arts in our classes. He continues to inspire, he will be missed. He is missed.

I took an English class with John Darling back when I was at Sac City. The memory's are still vivid. This tall guy, with our graded essays folded up in his back pocket, making Shakespeare come to like. He made the material relatable. And he believed in me (all of his students).

I remember he passed me back my final paper (which was a reading of Othello through a racial lens), and told me that I would make a good teacher one day. At the time, I thought he was joking: I was a jock (wrestling team) that was only at SCC because a coach recruited me. But again, John believed in me. I ended up continuing my education after, and I got my PhD. Now I am a teacher who hopes to inspire students the way John inspired me.

Rest in power, Professor! And thank you for believing in me!

I´m sorry to hear of John´s passing. He was such a strong and positive presence and teacher at CKM. I remember him fondly.

From playing baseball at parkway little league with Gary to working side by side with John at McClatchy, his devotion to family and humor and dedication to work made a lasting impression. He was a great teacher and it was a privilege to work side by side with him for a few years. My thoughts and prayers to his family.

There are just certain people that walk into your life that have a lasting impression on you... Mr Darling was one of those people for me and a million others! He asked me to work in the office answering phones, I was invited to his charitable functions to help with behind the scenes, he counseled me about staying in school my senior year and doing ROP to get my realestate license instead of graduating a year early! I always went to his office first for advice on many HS issues and he always gave me sound advice! I´m sorry that I never got to tell him how important he was to me growing up!

Dear Gladys and family, I will have many memories of discussing baseball with John, especially his love of the Giants and mine of the A's. He will be missed. Love Margie Ratto-Young

Your Dad's love, his laugh, the memories you made...
the life lessons that will always stay with you...
These are his gift to you!
We are so sorry for the loss of your father. Please accept our condolences and let us know if there's anything we can do to help during this difficult time. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your loved ones right now. We hope you're able to find peace and comfort during this difficult time.
Love Mark, Jeanne, Stacey Ryan, Lauren and Giana

My thoughts, prayers, and condolences to the family of a GREAT Man. Linda, Gary, and Matt, know that he touched many lives in his life.

Greg Meeks LBHS Class of "82"

Linda, Gary and Matthew, I was sad to read of your dad's passing. Even though it has been many years, I still have extremely fond memories of your family as part of my childhood. I particularly loved your dad's telling of the long joke stories with the pun endings. He will always be remembered with a smile by all of us whose lives he touched in one way or another.

John was such a lovely man, such a big part of Bethany and we will always remember him. May God give you all comfort in your memories.

My condolences to the Darling family.

I graduated from Luther Burbank in 1966. It was a terrific school then and Mr. Darling was a charismatic star of its faculty. I particularly remember one March 17th when one of the girls in the class asked if we were going to do anything to celebrate St. Patrick´s
Day. He reached into his jacket, produced an orange scarf, tacked it to the front of the room, and said, "No. I´m an English teacher."

My condolences to the Darling family. I remember Mr. Darling as a wonderful teacher at Burbank and I´m sure my brother had him at Johnson. Linda, I wish you great strength through this difficult time. Pat