Darlene Joann Short

May 4, 1936 - December 24, 2019

Darlene Joann (Hammersmith) Short was born May 4, 1936 in Dazey, ND, the daughter of Arnold and Amelia (Tombarge) Hammersmith. She attended elementary and high school in Dazey. Following her high school graduation, she attended Valley City State University earning a bachelor’s degree in education in 1958. August 17, 1958 Darlene was united in marriage to Esley Short in the Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church. They then moved to Berthold, ND where she taught at Fort Berthold School for three years before making Luverne, ND their home. In Luverne, Darlene taught first and second grade for many years. She also taught in the high school until it closed and returned to the elementary school where she taught and became the lead educator. When the Luverne Elementary school closed, Darlene retired from teaching. Following her retirement, Darlene enjoyed making arts and crafts then traveling to different craft shows with Esley to sell her merchandise. Known for her kind heart and love of cats, all of her cats in town were well fed and especially her “Kitty” will miss her dearly. Darlene is survived by her husband Esley of 61 years; son Ty (Julie) Short of Plymouth, MN; two granddaughters; and nine great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by a sister, Delores Swenson and a brother, Donald Hammersmith. Darlene passed away Tuesday, December 24, 2019 at CHI Mercy Health, Valley City, ND. The funeral service will be 10:30 am, Monday, December 30 at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church in Dazey with visitation one hour prior to the service. Burial will be in the Dazey Cemetery. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to the care of the Oliver-Nathan Funeral Chapel, Valley City, ND. An online guestbook is available at www.oliver-nathanchapel.com