Darlene Pitsenbarger’s motto has been: “No matter what you do, do it because you love to do it.” Obviously, this mantra has carried her well through her 100 years as she always spreads happiness to those around her.
Darlene Pearson and her sister, Nadine, grew up in rural Dallas County not far from Ortonville. Because there were not enough children to open the nearest school earlier, she attended Waukee School through the second grade but finished grades third through eighth at the rural school.
She and Nadine sister would walk the 1.5 miles to attend Adel #5 near Ortonville on the rails, challenging each other to see who could go the farthest without falling off.
Darlene came from a musical family, starting with the Cadwell Orchestra, so it isn’t surprising that when the father of some of the children that were part of the Orton Circus, which wintered in Ortonville, offered to teach some of her classmates to tap dance, she jumped at the chance.
They soon became so proficient they were invited to perform at the RKO Theater in Des Moines. Darlene has always loved to sing, and one of her memories from many rural school Christmas programs was singing “Up On The Housetop.” She shared a rendition of the song last Christmas with her fellow members of Nu Alpha Gamma Chapter, complete with the actions accompanying the lyrics.
Darlene graduated as valedictorian of her class of 26 in 1941 from Waukee High School. Her favorite class was typing, while her least favorite was home economics. Because she belonged to 4-H, she felt that home ec would be a waste of time, so she asked to enroll in a science class. She and a friend were the only girls in the class, but the knowledge gained in that class came in handy when she attended Iowa State Teachers College (now the University of Northern Iowa). She was the only one in her graduating class to attend college.
She and her husband, Harold, raised two children, Kay and John, on their farm near Redfield while Darlene taught in schools in Linden, Redfield and Waukee. After 75 years, she still resides there on the family farm.
This spring she asked her granddaughter to take her to see the new Waukee High School. While there, Darlene marveled at all of the opportunities available to the students. The visit was videotaped, and she has now recognized as the oldest living alumni of Waukee. The video has been shared on the school’s Facebook page as well as on local TV stations.
That Darlene is loved by those around her was shown in the many honors she has been given, including being the marshal of the Old Settlers Day Parade in Redfield in 2017. Her birthday weekend was marked by the delivery of more than 300 cards from the Waukee staff and students as wells as celebrations in Perry and Redfield, which included a surprise visit from famous bass-baritone opera singer Simon Estes, who sang, “Happy Birthday,” to her. This was truly a fitting tribute to a lady who shared her happiness with those around her.
