Darlene Evelyn Mathieu

Darlene Evelyn Mathieu died on September 8, 2022, at Tacoma General Hospital due to multiple health conditions. She was 76 years old.

She was born July 1, 1946, to Antoinette S. Lapointe in Trail, British Columbia. She was the oldest child of four and was the mother of two children, Allen and Kimberly. 

Darlene lived in B.C. until her mother married and they settled in El Paso, Texas which was her adoptive father’s home.  After completing high school, Darlene met John E. Douglas who was a soldier stationed at Ft. Bliss in El Paso. They fell in love, married, and had two children and settled in Southern California.

Darlene truly enjoyed living near John’s parents and siblings in California and loved playing cards and games and going with John to friends and family’s homes to play almost every week. They enjoyed her company too. She was helpful to the elders and had a great sense of humor.

After John passed away in 1978, Darlene moved with her children to Washington state to be near her mother and sisters. She went to work for the state of Washington and worked there for several years until her children were grown.

Darlene met Robert R. Mathieu from Oxnard, California while playing cards on the internet and he ultimately moved to Washington and married Darlene on January 9, 1995. They enjoyed their time together traveling all over the country and eventually became managers of a campground in Copalis Beach, Washington and spent most of their time there for about five years before Bob’s death in 2007.

Darlene’s sister Donna joined her to help run the campground after Bob passed away. When it became too tough to manage any longer, they continued to live together in Aberdeen and shared expenses until her death.

Darlene absolutely loved new technology and when she could, she would get the latest “new thing.” She was first in family to own an Atari, a personal computer, first to go online, bought a 3D television when they first came out and all kinds of other gadgets along the way.

Darlene was a kind and loving woman. She loved nature and loved whales and wolves. She donated to some of worthy causes, i.e. The Cousteau Society and Wolf Haven in Tenino, Washington.

Darlene is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Kimberly and Darren Haggard, grandchildren Jalyn and Kaden Haggard, two sisters, Dorietta L. Pope and Donna I. Wilson, a brother-in-law, David H. Pope, sister-in-law Patricia Foster, as well as nieces Sabreena Reyes, Brianna Marten, Rise Cooley, and Amy Goldner; nephews Corey Wilson, Greg Douglas, Steve Douglas, Roger Cooley, and Mike Foster.  In addition to husbands John and Robert, Darlene was preceded in death by her son, Allen J. Douglas, her mother, Antoinette (Toni) S. Widener, and her brother, Dannie W. Widener.

Darlene will be truly missed by all that knew her.

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