Obituary: Stebbins, Darrel Calvin
Age 89
He passed away at the age of 89 on January 3, 2014.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Zedra (Huntsley).
He is survived by his brother, Jerry and his wife Pat; son Scott and his wife Marki; son Tim and his wife Marcy; and their children, Kelsey Bergren (John), Courtney, and Tyler.
Darrel’s family moved from South Dakota to Spokane in 1936.
He attended West Valley High School, graduating in 1941.
He served in the US Army in World War II as a sergeant in the 10th Mountain division, was stationed in Italy from 1942-1945, and was awarded the Bronze Star during his tour of duty.
After returning from the war, he attended the University of Washington and graduated with a BA in Architecture in 1952.
He was a member of the Zeta Psi fraternity and was also a member of the Tau Sigma Delta Honors Society.
Darrel became a licensed Architect in the state of Washington in 1951 and began his career in Seattle.
He married Zedra Huntsley on March 18, 1951, and they moved to Spokane in 1952 to start and raise a family.
Early in his career, he worked for several Spokane architectural firms and then established his own firm in 1961.
He was a corporate member of the American Institute of Architects.
In 1980 he and Zedra moved to Olympia where Darrel worked for the state to coordinate the design of future state prison systems.
After retiring in 1989, they returned to the home that he had designed for them in Spokane where they enjoyed spending time with friends and family.
Once a year they would travel to their favorite place on the Oregon coast, Lincoln City, and walk the beach, hunt for agates, and eat Mo’s clam chowder.
Darrel was tremendously creative and could design and build almost anything, even including his own unique car.
He had many hobbies including reading, designing, building and flying radio-controlled model airplanes, woodworking, carving decoys, shore birds and Indian masks, oil and watercolor painting, and arguing with his computer.
He loved to play the trumpet and taught himself how to play the guitar.
Unfortunately he was stricken with macular degeneration in late 1990’s, which tremendously limited his ability to pursue many of these hobbies in his later years.
The family wishes to thank the staff at the Pine Ridge Alzheimer’s Special Care Center for their kindness, compassion and care they gave Darrel.
They were a source of comfort to our family, and we knew his special needs were well taken care of.
The family requests any remembrances be given to Spokane’s Union Gospel Mission.
A memorial service will be held at 10:00 AM on Saturday, February 8, 2014 at the Sunset Chapel, Fairmount Memorial Park, 5200 W Wellesley, Spokane, WA 99205