Darlene Montgomery

1938 - 2018

Darlene Montgomery

- - Ms. Darlene L. Montgomery, made her transition peacefully after a brief illness, August 10, 2018 at her home in Bermuda Dunes, CA.

Darlene was born in Hillsboro, Texas, June 28, 1938, the only child of Gladys and Tom "Martin" Brown, deceased. She is also pre-deceased her husband of 37 years, Bill O. Montgomery, her only son, Jay Colvin, Jr, and her beloved companion, Charles "Chuck" Buresh, who made his transition only five months before her. She is survived by three loving "Bonus Sons", Bill Montgomery,Jr., Mike Montgomery, and Darrell Montgomery of Ft. Worth, TX; many grand/great grandchildren and countless beloved friends.

Although Darlene was a proud 100% Texan, she also experienced living in many parts of the country from Cleveland Ohio, to Orange County, CA, to Missouri, and back to California. During this time, in addition to raising her son, she held several executive secretarial positions with various companies including North American Rockwell, and American Car and Foundry Co. She exited corporate America as the Manager of Warrantee and Repair Parker Hannifin Co. to join Bill as the office manager for their company, Tecma Inc.

Darlene was a consummate entertainer and often hosted beautiful luncheon and dinner parties. She was very active in the community having been a McCallum Theater volunteer, President/member of Desert Foxes Golf Club, and member of the Bermuda Dunes Country Club for over 30 years often chairing committees and overseeing decorations at special events at the club.

A fun fact she never talked about is: She, (Darlene Brown Shafer), is credited with co-writing "Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind" (1985), a #1 hit for George Straight, along with her ex-husband, country singer Sanger D. "Whitey" Shafer, best known for writing the song "All My Ex's Live in Texas."

Darlene loved traveling, golfing, boating, and cooking/entertaining. The 4-time winner of the Bermuda Dunes Country Club Chili Cook-off with her mouth-watering Texas Chili, she loved boasting how she was asked to refrain from competing to allow someone else to win! She also took great pride in her home maintaining it inside and out as a showpiece of the neighborhood. She was always the first one to reach out to help whoever needed it, organize community and club mixers, and offer her warm, southern hospitality to a host of dear friends.

Her family and friends remember her as an incredibly talented, loving, energetic, and devoted pillar of strength and determination who never met a stranger and knew how to make everyone she touched feel special. Upon hearing the news of her illness, a neighbor of Darlene's wrote: "My heart is hurting with this news. Darlene is a stalwart of our neighborhood and has been a constant positive presence for decades. Our neighborhood will never be the same."

A "Celebration of Life" service is planned for Sunday, December 2, 2018 at the Bermuda Dunes Country Clubhouse, Bermuda Dunes, CA. from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. All her friends are welcomed to wear Christmas attire, her favorite holiday, to the service.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to: www.Fundly.com (Darlene Montgomery). These funds will support her favorite causes including a gift to the McCallum Theater and the Bermuda Dunes Country Club in her memory.