La Conner Weekly News - Your independent hometown award-winning newspaper

Darrell McCormick died peacefully with his wife by his side on Sept. 20, 2023.

Darrell was born and raised in La Conner. He spent much of his youth hunting with his dad, Bruce, and brothers Larry and Gail. Darrell loved working long hours on his grandparent's farm which instilled a, "Let's make hay while the sun is up!" attitude. In school, Darrell was a stand-out athlete who helped draw town locals out to cheer on the Braves.

After graduating from La Conner High, he married his high school sweetheart, Jacque Jensen, and they had two children, Teresa and Bryan. 

As an adult, Darrell is remembered with great fondness by many throughout the Valley for his musical talents as a one-man band who would, on most occasions, fill the establishments he was playing to capacity.

Darrell's career would span thirty-three years on the water, first as a deckhand and soon after as a captain for Dunlap Towing and later Puget Sound Freight Lines. In 1990 he married Charmaine (Stemhagen) Allen, and they soon moved to Republic, WA, to escape the seasonal barrage of tourists seeking a glimpse of the renowned Skagit Valley tulips. They later moved to Addy, WA for greener pastures.

He is survived by his wife, Char, brothers Larry (Patty), Gail (Kathy), David (Sandy), and Michael (Marilyn) and sister Sharon, daughter Teresa (Carl), son Bryan (Allyson), stepdaughters Dawn Falls and Jaclyn Allen, grandchildren Matthew Orlando, Ian, Maeve and Nora McCormick, Laura Orlando (Derek Smith), Kayla Marvulli, Karly Ploghoft (George), Haileigh Allen (Thomas Harris), Analysse Regan and Nikolas Brown.

Family and friends are invited to celebrate his life on Friday, October 6, 12:30-3:30 at the Vinery at Christianson's Nursery.