- Date Of Birth: February 7, 1944
- Date Of Death: November 18, 2020
- State: Texas
Diana Darlene (Tolan) Rutan was born April 7, 1944 in Dallas, Texas and passed away November 18, 2020 in Temple, Texas at age 76.
Darlene graduated from high school in Grapevine, Texas. She wanted to be independent of her family and start leading her own life, so she decided to go away for college in Virginia. She later transferred to New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, where she met Andy Rutan.
Their friendship quickly grew into a love that has lasted a lifetime. Before marrying Andy, Darlene had one special goal she wanted to achieve. She wanted to be the first Tolan to get a college degree. So, she waited until after obtaining her bachelor’s degree in accounting before marrying Andy on June 1, 1966. They had dated for five months and have been married for 54 years.
Darlene worked in bookkeeping at various jobs until 1990 when she went to work for Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She was a specialist in finance. In 1997, she received a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) with a concentration in finance from the College of Santa Fe. She worked for Sandia for 20 years and retired in 2010.
Darlene was a naturally gifted researcher whether it was at her job or seeking missing ancestry data for family genealogy trees. With a clever, dry wit and twinkle in her eyes, Darlene could brighten a conversation and room in her gentle way. She and Andy were like two peas in a pod regarding always being together and enjoying each other’s company while at home or traveling.
After retiring, Darlene and Andy moved to Temple, Texas to be near family. Since then, they have been members of the United Methodist Church in Belton, Texas.
Darlene is preceded in death by her biological father Gilbert Archie “Gib” Tolan who was killed in World War II before ever getting to see his baby daughter; her much loved and witty mother Laura Nell Green (Tolan) Woodall; her beloved stepfather Wallace Woodall; and numerous Green ancestors dating back to the 1630s in the USA.
Darlene is survived by husband Andy Rutan in Temple, Texas; brother-in-law Tom Rutan (wife Randi) in Old Bridge, New Jersey; sister-in-law Maggie Rutan in Winchester, Tennessee; and numerous other relatives and friends.
