Submitted photo.
Date Published: May 5, 2016
Darlene McMullen lives in Prentice, Wisconsin. She was born and raised in Catawba, Wisconsin, the second oldest of seven children. Darlene graduated from Phillips High School in 1969. On October 10, 1970, she married the love of her life, Larry McMullen, who was born and raised in Phillips, Wisconsin.
Larry & Darlene lived in Phillips for the first 5 1/2 years of their marriage but moved to the Milwaukee area in 1976. They had four children, (three girls and one boy). Unfortunately, in 2003, Larry passed on from a massive heart attack at the age of 56.
Two years after Larry’s death, in 2005, Darlene decided to move back to the area. With a daughter and her family living in Hawkins at the time, Darlene felt it was time to come home. Now her life is filled with the joy of 5 grandchildren, (4 granddaughters and one grandson), who are the loves of her life.
“My children and grandchildren bring me so much happiness,” Darlene told us. “I love spending time with them, and I love when my grandkids spend the night with me. Being with family makes my heart swell with joy.”
It is evident that Darlene enjoys her family very much given that her favorite vacation includes them. “My favorite vacation was camping out on my land in Phillips, because I was camping with my grandchildren. There is no electricity and no running water, but we had so much fun four wheeling, having campfires, and relaxing. We will be doing it as often as we can this summer.”
We asked Darlene if she had any advice for young people who are interested in pursuing one of their major goals, and she replied, “I would say...go for it! Do the best you can, try your hardest, and whether you succeed or not, at least you tried and that is what is important. You will never look back and say, 'I wish I would have done this’ or ‘I wish I would have done that,' and you will never regret trying.” With that advice in mind, it is no wonder that Darlene’s favorite quote is, “You reap what you sow.” Darlene elaborated, “We are all responsible for our actions. No one else is to blame for what we say or do. Blaming someone else is immature and childish.”
Darlene likes to live by the motto, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Expanding upon the Golden Rule, Darlene explained, “If I want someone to treat me with kindness and respect, I have to do the same to them, and that is how it should be. There is nothing wrong with being kind and considerate.”
Darlene said that if she could impart one bit of wisdom to the next generation, it would be to “Enjoy every second of every day, because time waits for no one. I remember when I couldn't wait to turn 18 and graduate from high school....and I turned around and I am 65!”
Darlene retired from Phillips Plating in 2011 and now does cleaning as a part-time job a couple days per week. This schedule allows her more time for one of her favorite hobbies, which is reading. “When I am reading, I visualize what I am reading about and it relaxes me,” shared Darlene.
“To sum me up,” Darlene closed our interview, “I lead a very simple life, I love spending as much time with my family as I can, and I thank God every day when I wake up!”
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Written By: Lynne Bohn
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