Darlene Jane Tharp

Darlene Jane (Pruin) Tharp, 87, of Grundy Center, IA, passed away on Friday, November 25, 2022. A memorial service will be held Saturday, December 10, 2022, at 10:30 a.m. at the United Methodist Church in Grundy Center, preceded by visitation at 9:30 a.m. at the church. A private burial will take place at the Riverside Cemetery in Shell Rock, IA. Memorials may be directed to the family. Online condolences may be made at www.abelsfuneralhomes.com

Darlene, daughter of Herman and Tillie Pruin, was born on a farm in Butler County, Iowa, on September 18, 1935. She married Richard P. Tharp on December 17, 1955. They had five children, Debra, Chris, Linda, Dwayne, and Karen. Richard preceded her in death on February 22, 2017.

Throughout their lives Darlene and Richard worked hard to provide for their family. Darlene was a wonderful seamstress, allowing her to make and mend clothing for their family. She also enjoyed other handcrafts such as knitting and crocheting. She loved camping with her family and exploring the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. She was an excellent cook and always made sure to send her family home with cookies whenever they visited. Family meant everything to Darlene. She always made time to keep up with the children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Darlene was the center of her family and her home was the welcoming hub for all family gatherings.

She is survived by her 5 children: Debra (Ray Micheel) Tharp of Ankeny, IA, Chris (Gary) Ciddio of Grundy Center, IA, Linda Tharp of Waverly, IA, Dwayne (Vicki) Tharp of Dunnegan, MO, and Karen (Mike) Ralston of Nevada, IA; 10 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren: John (Libby Kirkendall) Ryan and Phoebe Ryan, Marissa (John) Emerson (their son Boone), Ellysia (Jordan) Cottrell (their children Brecken, Tilleah, and Tayah), Dominic (Joselyn Palacios) Ciddio, Derek (Karson DeGroote) Ciddio, Jessica Tharp, Peter (Becca) Ralston (their children Grace Ann and Cooper), Benjamin (Janie Kilts-Lepine) Ralston, and Daniel (Elli Cassabaum) Ralston. She is further survived by her siblings, Harlan (Linda) Pruin, Shirley (Jim) Miller, and LaVerne (Kathy) Pruin. She was preceded in death by her husband, parents and infant sister Carolyn Kaye.

The family would like to extend a special thank you to the staff at The Elms in Reinbeck for their care and compassion.