She was born November 26,1948 in Strasbourg Sask. the second of four children to Dave and Minnie Hilderman. She was baptized and later confirmed in St. Paul Lutheran Church in Duval and was a member of Duval Luther League.

She enjoyed growing up on the family farm west of Duval with her brothers Ray, Don and Lorne. She was a member of the Duval 4-H Beef club for several years and loved her calves, especially Domino, who ended up being a very large family pet they could ride on. She attended public school in Duval to Grade nine and enjoyed curling on the school team. Her high school years were in Strasbourg at William Derby where she was a member of the WDHS curling and softball teams.

After high school, she began working in Regina at Cooperators Insurance. She married Keith Heinitz, and they were blessed with two beautiful daughters, Dawne in 1968, and Darla in 1971. While working and raising their girls in Regina, they provided housing and meals for boarders, including their brothers. These were good years. Their home was filled with family and friends, card games and LOTS of love and laughter. In 1974, they moved to an acreage just outside of Nipawin to start an RV Trailer dealership. While there, the family enjoyed their horse (Bell) and dog (Cuddles) and many visitors-both new friends and old ones from back home. In 1982, they moved to Medicine Hat then to Taber in 1985. While in Taber, Darlene took a course to become a medical scribe, working at the Taber Hospital until an injury forced her retirement from that job. She struggled with the pain related to fibromyalgia for the rest of her life. In her effort to stay productive, she took a bookkeeping course and kept meticulous books for her business and home. She also took a Home Decorating course and started her home base business, creating and selling beautiful floral arrangements, and paper tole pictures at craft shows throughout Alberta. Darlene was an avid gardener, decorator, crafter and cook who took great pride in her family and her home. Her joy was spending time with her girls and her grandchildren, and she was so proud of their accomplishments. She enjoyed travelling with family, especially to Arizona, Hawaii, and concerts in Great Falls, as well as many motorbike trips.

Darlene loved dogs, especially Zak, her special companion and little buddy! After Zak’s passing, her love for dogs continued as she offered dog sitting in her home. Eventually her health forced her to move from Taber to Lethbridge Heritage residence in 2024 and then to St. Theresa Villa in August of 2025 until her passing.

She is survived by her daughter Dawne (Jay) Daniels; grandchildren: Josh (Rachel) Peterson, Alyssa Peterson (Shay and daughter Juno), and Mya (Andrew) Parry and their daughters, Everly and stepdaughter Nellie, and Rayna Andrus; sons-in-law Corey Peterson (Natalie) and Joey Andrus; brothers: Ray, Don (Lynn), and Lorne (Darlene); nieces and nephews: Ryan (Claire) Hilderman, Tricia (Heath) Holliday, Tanielle (Dennis) Garcia, Perry Hilderman, and Spencer (Laura) Hilderman; and numerous great nieces and nephews, cousins and friends.

She was predeceased by her daughter Darla (2004), her parents Dave (2004) and Minnie (2019), and her sister-in-law Terri Hilderman (2025).

A Graveside Service will be held at DUVAL CEMETERY, Duval, SK, on Saturday, October 18, 2025 at 2:00 P.M., with lunch to follow at the Duval Hall. All are welcome.

In memory of Darlene, donations may be made to the Taber Lost Paws Society (www.taberlostpawssociety.com)