Ethel Darlene Stanley Gatlin was born on August 10, 1938, in Visalia, California and departed this life on Wednesday, April 8, 2015, at her home in Meeker, Oklahoma, at the age of 76.

Darlene, the daughter of John and Ida Pearl Love Stanley, was a longtime resident of Meeker.

On June 5, 1957, she married Earl Calvin Gatlin in Meeker and the two spent 53 wonderful years together before Calvin’s passing in 2010.

Before her illness limited her ability to do so, Darlene attended Living Waters Church in Meeker and was an avid horticulturist. Be careful though if you volunteered to weed eat around her trees.

She greatly loved both traveling and shopping and was a master at the art of spotting a bargain, whether she really needed it or not. Darlene was also very interested in genealogy and the Gatlin/Stanley family history.

She was the matriarch of the family business, Artic Temp, Inc., a manufacturing company that she and Calvin founded 31 years ago.

In addition to her husband, Calvin, she is preceded in death by her father, John, one brother, J. W. Stanley and twin great grandsons, Dax and Dayton Fowler.

Those left to cherish Darlene’s memory include her mother, Pearl Stanley, 102 years old, of Meeker, sons and daughters-in-law, Robert Calvin Gatlin of Meeker and Tony and Ashley Gatlin of Meeker; daughters and sons-in-law, Diane and Brad West of Shawnee, Deborah Spencer of Meeker, Sheila Kirk and Micah Lynch of Meeker; grandchildren, Bode and Bailyn Gatlin, Colton Fowler, Dillon Spencer, Callie Kirk and Laney Lynch; great grandchildren, Kendyl Fowler, Gentri Fowler, Cooper Spencer, Sophia Spencer and Sadie Spencer; sisters, Sharron and Jerry Mankin of Bethel and Jim and Lavonna Bronson of Corpus Christie, Texas; brothers-in-law, Carroll Gatlin and his wife, Betty and Donnie Gatlin, and his wife, Sheryl; sister-in-law, Linda Gatlin; other numerous family and friends.

The Gatlin family looks forward to receiving friends on Sunday, April 12, 2015, from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Parks Brothers Funeral Home in Prague.

Funeral services will be held on Monday, April 13, 2015, at 10:00 a.m. at Parks Brothers Funeral Chapel in Prague with Pastor Don Gatlin officiating.

Interment will follow at Meeker Cemetery.

Services are under the direction of Parks Brothers Funeral Service in Prague.