Scholarship Fund in Memory of Darren Haney
Donation protected
My brother, Darren William Haney of Carbondale, Illinois, died suddenly of a suspected heart attack on April 11th, 2020. Darren was a gentle soul, an excellent musician, a Spanish/ESL teacher who cared deeply about his students, and was very much loved by his family and many, many friends. As we move through our grief, we find our loved ones reaching out to us, asking what they can do. Due to COVID-19 and social distancing we are not able to reach out and hug all of you as we wish we could.
We have decided to begin a scholarship in honor of my brother. Many of the students he taught come from financially challenged families and we would like to establish a scholarship in his name to help the students he loved so much.
Due to COVID-19, a traditional gathering is impossible right now, but I will update you all on plans for a memorial service we will have once it is safe for us to all gather together again.
Please contact me if you have any questions, as I am organizing this on behalf of my family.
Thank you. Peace and blessings to you all,
Dawn Haney, Darren's older sister.
David Haney, Darren's younger brother,
Bill Haney, Darren's father
UPDATE 4/15/20:
Darren's burial was today. Unfortunately due to COVID-19 restrictions it could only be attended by 10 people. However, it was a beautiful day full of sunshine, music, tributes, poems, as well as laughter and crying. Darren would be proud as he is the first green burial in Oakland Cemetery in Carbondale, Illinois.
To read his obituary and leave any pictures or messages on the page, please visit: https://www.meredithfh.com/obituaries/obituary-listings?obId=12685852&fbclid=IwAR1tyh9ds4V8D6eCYDcXAUr-RXlI2dm7PvT5Drvsa2ylJ_lU21HBTCvuIHY.
Unfortunately because the way the funeral home website is set up the first page you will arrive at is the Tributes page. To the right of "Tribute Wall", there is a small gray option that reads "Obituary and Events". You have to click that to get to the obituary. Also on cell phones, there’s a classic banner on the page that says plant a tree in memory of DARREN. If you choose to do that we are of course grateful however the family‘s wishes are that any contributions you may wish to make go to the scholarship for the ESL students he taught and loved so much.
His family thanks each and every one of you who have so generously donated, sent virtual hugs, sang songs, shared pictures; especially old band photos, brought us food, related memories of Darren, helped us gather his belongings...there are so many ways people have been kind to us I cannot even begin to list them all,and words seem inadequate to appropriately express how truly grateful we all are. Blessings to you all. I will be working with Darren's co-worker and fellow teacher, Mel, to formally establish the scholarship and award them to students who are currently finishing their senior year, but will likely be unable to attend a senior award ceremony due to social distancing restrictions. But we will make sure the scholarships are awarded....and keep going every year.
We have decided to begin a scholarship in honor of my brother. Many of the students he taught come from financially challenged families and we would like to establish a scholarship in his name to help the students he loved so much.
Due to COVID-19, a traditional gathering is impossible right now, but I will update you all on plans for a memorial service we will have once it is safe for us to all gather together again.
Please contact me if you have any questions, as I am organizing this on behalf of my family.
Thank you. Peace and blessings to you all,
Dawn Haney, Darren's older sister.
David Haney, Darren's younger brother,
Bill Haney, Darren's father
UPDATE 4/15/20:
Darren's burial was today. Unfortunately due to COVID-19 restrictions it could only be attended by 10 people. However, it was a beautiful day full of sunshine, music, tributes, poems, as well as laughter and crying. Darren would be proud as he is the first green burial in Oakland Cemetery in Carbondale, Illinois.
To read his obituary and leave any pictures or messages on the page, please visit: https://www.meredithfh.com/obituaries/obituary-listings?obId=12685852&fbclid=IwAR1tyh9ds4V8D6eCYDcXAUr-RXlI2dm7PvT5Drvsa2ylJ_lU21HBTCvuIHY.
Unfortunately because the way the funeral home website is set up the first page you will arrive at is the Tributes page. To the right of "Tribute Wall", there is a small gray option that reads "Obituary and Events". You have to click that to get to the obituary. Also on cell phones, there’s a classic banner on the page that says plant a tree in memory of DARREN. If you choose to do that we are of course grateful however the family‘s wishes are that any contributions you may wish to make go to the scholarship for the ESL students he taught and loved so much.
His family thanks each and every one of you who have so generously donated, sent virtual hugs, sang songs, shared pictures; especially old band photos, brought us food, related memories of Darren, helped us gather his belongings...there are so many ways people have been kind to us I cannot even begin to list them all,and words seem inadequate to appropriately express how truly grateful we all are. Blessings to you all. I will be working with Darren's co-worker and fellow teacher, Mel, to formally establish the scholarship and award them to students who are currently finishing their senior year, but will likely be unable to attend a senior award ceremony due to social distancing restrictions. But we will make sure the scholarships are awarded....and keep going every year.
Organizer
Dawn Haney
Organizer
Oak Park, IL
