.png)
Our Beloved Mom, Wife, Sister, Grandmother, Aunt, Cousin, Nina, In-Law and Friend Darlene Adele Mostad Tarín, 84 years young, drew her last earthly breath becoming an ancestor on December 20, 2024. Darlene was born the 11th of 13 children in Langdon, North Dakota to a large family of Norwegian settlers before moving to Polson, Montana at a young age. She reminisced often of her adventures on the farm with her siblings and took pride in her resilience and industrious work ethic. She sang in the choir, played saxophone in her high school band and cared for her younger nieces and nephews. When Darlene was 16, she moved with her parents Ida and Edgar Mostad and younger brothers to Los Angeles, California.
In 1961 Darlene married Ramon R. Tarín, her husband of 63 years. They raised their family in their beautiful longtime home of Northeast LA that radiates with her aesthetic touch. Darlene was an engaged working Mom who supported her children in school, church, sporting endeavors and in life. She was a cub scout den mother with her sisterfriend Linda and a member of the Mothers Club during her children’s Catholic school years.
Darlene worked as a supervisor for PacBell/ATT for 17 years persevering through many health-related employment challenges. For 17 years she was Assistant to Dean of Students Brigida Knauer at Occidental College and Assistant in the Diplomacy and World Affairs Department. Darlene valued her time at Oxy meeting people, supporting students, volunteering and experiencing life on a prestigious college campus. She often shared stories of her day, speaking fondly about the folks she engaged, programs she worked on and the respect she had for the administrators she worked alongside.
She enjoyed having summers off to spend with her children and nieces and nephews, taking them to the local pool, to the beach and making tasty snacks and lunches while we watched soap operas during afternoon swimming breaks. After retiring from Oxy she relished her days as doting caregiver and Nina to the daughters of Dr. Magdalena Arenas and her husband Carlos. Her relationship with them brought such joy, laughter and love to her life.
Her commitment to family both biological and chosen was a central tenet of her value system as a person. She was Grandma D to an eclectic all ages cohort of grandkids that she loved spending time with during sleepover visits, phone calls and facetime check ins.
Darlene was a gatherer who loved to hang out with family whether at a picnic, birthday celebration, holiday party, Sunday dinner or impromptu table game. She could be found cooking delicious food, designing fun group activities, salsa dancing with her husband, singing, laughing, joking, and was notorious at re-making the rules of play in the middle of a game.
Darlene looked forward to yearly road trips to visit family in Montana and the Pacific Northwest. She was an avid reader and loved a good mystery with a bag of peanut M&Ms. Later in life she taught herself to quilt producing many beautiful blankets gifted to loved ones. Darlene was a welcoming, generous, loving and loyal friend.
She is survived by the many people who loved her including her husband and 3 adult children, her beloved Arenas family, 10 grandchildren, 10 great grandchildren and 3 great-great grandchildren, many nieces and nephews, in-laws, numerous friends and her last remaining sister Helga.
Her ashes are interned in her home where a celebration of life will be held for her in Spring 2025.
