Sarah P. Darlington of Kennett Square

Sarah P. Darlington, 82, died peacefully on Wednesday, Jan. 13, at Linden Hall in Kennett Square. She and her late husband, David W. Darlington, enjoyed 56 years of marriage together. She is survived by her four children: her daughter, Debbie McAnally (Bill), and her three sons, Ken (Vicky), Jerry (Nancy), and Jeff (Angie). In addition, she is survived by 10 grandchildren: Sean (Devon), Scott, Patrick, Andrew, Alexander, Thomas, Alaina, Hunter, Sara, and Christopher and her sister Ruth (Jack) Anderson. Her sister Mary (Ray) McKay proceeded her in death.

Sarah P. Darlington

Born on Oct. 26, 1938, in Pocopson, she was the daughter of the late George Merril Pratt and Esther Chambers Pratt. She grew up on the Pratt farm in Pocopson and as the family grew many fond memories were created with family picnics, shuffleboard, swimming, and running the produce stand along the roadside. Growing up, the Pratt and Darlington families spent a considerable amount of time together working the farms, having fun swimming in the pond, or sledding down what is now the Pocopson Elementary School hill. When asked where she met her husband, David, with quick wit she would reply “in the crib.” They were childhood friends but did not realize true love until David went to college at Penn State. They married after graduation. Sarah was a graduate of Unionville High School and received her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from West Chester State Teachers College in 1960. After graduation, she taught for a year at the New Garden Elementary School then she started a family and devoted her life to her family and the family farm.

Sarah worked hard to raise her four children. Through her actions, she instilled strong work ethics not only in her children but in the nieces, nephews, and young men that came to work on the farm. In addition to her role as a homemaker, she cooked breakfast and lunch for the workers, was in charge of the finances, and kept everyone in line. She worked side by side with David on the dairy farm which gave all four children the opportunity to attend college. She got up at 5 a.m. to help milk the cows and clean the stalls, ran the tractors to rake hay and to unload corn, dug out thistles on the hillside, sprayed the multi-floral roses along the fence rows, plus whatever else needed to be done on any given day.

Sarah had a quick wit and a lovely sense of humor. She enjoyed nature and spending time outdoors. Her love of nature sparked her interest in volunteering at the Brandywine River Museum as a critter maker. She was often seen wandering around the farm collecting the perfect natural ingredients for critter creation. Each Monday during critter season, she would meet with the volunteers at the Brandywine River Museum where she enjoyed the companionship. She was also a member of the Lesserton Garden Club and Birmingham Friends Meeting. Sarah joined the Beta Sigma Phi Sorority in 1960 and enjoyed many years of comradery and more recently lunches out with her sorority sisters.

A memorial service at Birmingham Friends Meeting, 1245 S. Birmingham Road, West Chester, PA  19382 will be scheduled at a later date. Interment will be private.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Friends Home at Kennett, 147 West State Street, Kennett Square, PA 19348 https://fhkennett.org/donate/

Arrangements by DellaVecchia, Reilly, Smith & Boyd Funeral Home of West Chester, PA 610-696-1181 www.DellaFH.com

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