At age 74, Darrell Edward Shulins, “D”, our Husband, Father, Grandfather, Godfather, Devoted Friend, and Fierce Protector, passed away on Sunday, November 3rd, 2024, surrounded by loved ones at his home, only 6 days after a diagnosis of metastatic bone cancer. He stayed as our Constant and active: Grounds Keeper, Rock Hunter, Flip Flop Tan Trophy Winner, Dishes Doer, Skipbo Champion, Bird Feeder, Joke Teller, Sarcastic Advisor, Wearer of the White T-shirt, Master of Midnight PB & Honey, BBQ Chef, Pink Floyd Enthusiast, Fixer of Everything Broken (“You’re doing it wrong, give me that”), Waiver of Goodbye’s Until You Were Out of Sight, T-shirt Off His Back Giving, GOOD At His Core, Absolute Best Loving Husband of 54 Years, & Most Loving and Caring guy, that we all knew. We are not really sure what in the Hell just happened, but we ARE sure that we will Love you Forever and Miss You Always (and we’ll probably make fun of you and your quirks).

Darrell was born on November 20th, 1949, in North Dakota. D learned may life lessons between there and Livingston Montana, with Livingston mostly being home. To find purpose and stay out of the local Sheriff’s view, he joined the Army in 1967 at the age of 17, for 2 years of active service and 2 years reserve. He didn’t talk too much about his time overseas, but WOW, he sure came back with some muscles and was even more handsome than before! This may have helped his determination to find his middle & high school sweetheart and Love Of His Life, Sandra Deines & they were reunited quickly. While working for the railroad, moving “a few” times, and starting a family, they settled in the Tri-Cities in 1973 with a Son, Todd Alan, and a Daughter, Wendy Marie. Wanting to be home more to enjoy and antagonize his family, he quit his cool lineman railroad job to work a less glamorous job with IBP for fifteen-plus years. You will be glad to know he kept his muscles “throwing” 45lb boxes all that time, but he also learned to grind his teeth furiously in his sleep. In 1986, D had to endure the devastating loss of his son, Todd, at age 17. This loss deeply changed him forever and was something he never got over. So, with a sore jaw from work stress and a newly shattered heart, he quit IBP and went to work for Sandvik Special Metals. After a layoff, he did a short stint at the City of Kennewick, then found his retirement job with Ferguson, from which he retired in April 2014. While there, he made many great friends and accumulated an overabundance of t-shirts, which are all still in his closet (and will be shared with any family/friends). We can just imagine the Christmas cards now.

During his retirement, D enjoyed numerous skydiving trips with his Buddy, Aaron Aichele, going on cruises with wife Sandy and their friends, hitting the casino to “get rid of some cash”, and spending time with his Daughter, as they were two peas in a pod. D was an avid woodworker and builder of all things, either he, or anyone else needed. He was quick to offer help to anyone and was determined to see the job through, even if it took a year. But Mostly, he enjoyed just being home with his wife, tinkering in the shed, and out “putzin” in the yard. He never turned down an opportunity to be with those he loved.

Darrell is survived by his childhood Friend and Wife of 54 years, Sandy Shulins, Daughter, Wendy Shulins-Briggs and Daughter-in-law, Jennifer Anderson, Granddaughters, Samantha Shulins-Briggs, Kelli Luke(Kruz), and Baylee Shulins-Briggs(Chris), Sister at Heart, Chrissie Aichele and his Godchildren, Alicia Biddle(Ryan), Cheri Holbrook(Nick), & Aaron Aichele (Kim) helping to raise them after the tragic loss of their father when they were all under the age of five. Niece and Nephew, April(Shulins) & Charlie McNamee of Curlew, WA and Nephew Stevie Shulins of Iowa. His high school friends, Tully and Jan Swanberg of Olympia, WA, and Debbie and Ted Lechner of Helena, MT. His adventurous, cruise-taking, and shenanigan-enjoying friends, Rick and Dotty Harding of the Tri-Cities. Together Darrell and Sandy created a home where all the neighborhood kids wanted to be (and they were there a lot!) so he is also survived by all the other kids he helped to raise, scolded, taught life lessons to, and loved. We are sure we’ve left a few out, please excuse us if we have not mentioned your name (D will haunt us for it anyway).

Darrell is preceded in death by both of his Parents, his Son, Todd Alan Shulins, his Grandson, Jack Ryan Shulins-Briggs, his Brother, Steve Shulins & Sister-in-Law ,Vicky Shulins, & their Son, Ronnie Shulins, And Aunt, Caroline Rigwood. He greatly missed his Aunt Clara and Uncle Martin Mauch, who helped raise and shape him into the Fairly Cool Guy he was.

A celebration of life will be held in the spring. In lieu of flowers, please send any donations to the Tri-Cities Chaplaincy Hospice House. We cannot thank them, and everyone else who helped us through his last days on Earth, no, not ever enough. Thank you ALL from the depths of our hearts.

We asked for help in “summing up” Darrell’s 74 years. Brace yourself:

D, You were and are, the love of my life and I knew we had to be together when I first saw you in the 8th grade. We have been with each other for 54 years and I seriously will miss and love you for the rest of my days. I’m sure you’ll hear me talking to you. Some will be good, some will be bad, but you know me. I wish with all my heart that I could see you sitting in the computer room playing solitaire or hear the weed eater going in the back forty. I love you – until we meet again.         Wife –  Sandy Shulins

Hey Dad, For as long as I can remember, you told me the Ouija board said you would die at age 82. I thought I had more time with you and now I hate that game more than I ever have. As much as I miss you so terribly already, I have to consider myself so very Lucky & Blessed to have had you as my Dad. You taught me how to navigate this world & stand on my own two feet, and to be nice to people because you never know what someone is going through. You taught me the reason for rules, the value of hard work, and to appreciate the little things. To give second chances & to never start a fight but to defend myself. To leave things better than I found them and clean up my own messes. You taught me to try by myself first before asking for help and to always help others when they need it. All those lessons were about being loved and how to love others, about Grace. You were the most selfless man I know Dad. I began to understand you didn’t always have it easy and that you wanted a better childhood for your kids. That you were your own person, a wild child, who had hopes and dreams before becoming a father and how, after that, being a Family Man was paramount to you. Thank you for always showing affection, no matter who was watching, for always saying I love you and hugging me when we said goodbye and for making me feel like I was enough. Thank you for being a great Husband, partner in crime, and Friend to Mom. I promise to look out for her and help as much as I can, just as you always did. I will continue to carry you with me every day, hearing your love language of sarcasm in my head, and feeling you in my heart. All I ever wanted was to make you proud. Thank you Dad, for Everything. Knowing you would cringe at all this attention, I’ll quit Blubbering now.  I will love you and miss you Always. Catch you in the Cosmos Pop,    Love, Wen – Big D’s Daughter

Darrell was a devoted husband of 54 years, a proud father, and a man who quietly taught us all what it means to live a meaningful life. In every way, Darrell was a character—a guy who lived simply but loved greatly. Often in his jeans, white t-shirt, and flip-flops, he was comfortable in his own skin, never needing much to be genuinely happy. His laugh was as big as his heart, and he was quick with a grin that lit up the room followed by a warm welcome, and he was even quicker to keep us on our toes with a friendly jab. His stories or next joke would often start with his signature “Welllll…” with which we all are familiar. He loved to grill a good steak or burger, often riling us up just enough to spark a laugh, and he made sure every gathering felt like home, always quick to ignite a smile. With his easygoing spirit, he loved a good game of pool, snooker, Skip-Bo, or cornhole, and he “loved” Zags basketball, a “true fan” to the core— both cheering and cursing them with equal passion! These were the simple, cherished moments he loved most—moments I’ll miss dearly and carry with me always.

Darrell’s adoration for his wife, Sandy, was a steady, lifelong devotion—a love that showed me, and everyone around them, what it means to truly cherish someone. To his daughter, Wendy, he was a steadfast role model, imparting life’s lessons with a quiet strength that spoke louder than words ever could. Through him, she learned integrity, compassion, resilience, and the importance of hard work. He taught her to lead with kindness, to hold firm to her beliefs, and to value family above all else. These were not just values but gifts he wove into her heart, shaping the person she is and, through her, touching countless lives.

His guidance went beyond words—they were found in the values he held close and in the gentle but firm ways he showed right from wrong. Darrell taught others to be open-hearted, to not judge, to give second chances, to stand up for oneself without looking for a fight, and, perhaps most importantly, how to love and be loved.

In goodbyes, he was a true champion, never letting a friend or family member leave without a warm farewell, often paired with a joke to send us off smiling. Darrell was humble yet proud, selfless, and family-oriented to the core. He loved fiercely and leaves a legacy of kindness, humor, and countless life lessons. As we say goodbye, we carry forward his memory, knowing he left a piece of himself with each of us. His spirit lives on in his wife, who carries his love; in his daughter, who reflects his values; and in all of us, who are better for having known him.

I honor Darrell with a heart full of gratitude, cherishing the memories he left us and the light he shared. He was a man who loved deeply and gave wholeheartedly, his presence will always remain, embedded into each life he touched.   Jennifer Anderson – DILTop of FormBottom of Form

Darrell was the Dad everyone loved. Always engaged in one project or another. His tenderness with his Great Danes was touching and fun to witness. Tossing coconuts up the hill for them to fetch and play with. He had the most memorable way of cocking his head to the side with a small smile and say, “Welllll….” Before responding. His hugs were simply The Best, Letting you know the genuineness of his Love. I’m so VERY blessed and will always strive to make him proud.       April McNamee – Neice

What I will miss most about Darrell is his infectious laugh and smile and when he hugged you –  he HUGGED you. His hugs were always robust and filled with hardiness, meaning and love. When I give someone a hug now, I am always comparing it to one of his hugs. Nothing compares…           Charlie McNamee – Nephew

I have known Darrell for years and is a very good friend, and I will feel the loss of losing him for the rest of my life. Darrell was the type of friend that if you had a problem or needed help, there were no questions asked. Darrell was there for you no matter what you needed night or day. He was my best friend, and I will miss him.            Rick Harding – Friend

I remember Darrell being very welcoming and laid back. Never saw him angry, only funny and kind. When I was in high school, he would meet us at the bowling alley or local bar and play pool with us for hours. I’ll miss you Darrell.             Ryan McKeever – “one of his other kids” & Friend

We went out to Pasco to visit Darrell and Sandy, and they decided to take us on the wine tasting tour. Darrell is the designated driver. It’s 105 degrees out that day and we get out of an air-conditioned vehicle, cross a hot parking lot, go into an air-conditioned building, sample wine, cross the hot parking lot, and get into an air-conditioned vehicle. After making the rounds, we return to their house and Darrell, the only totally sober person among us, puts a nice roast on the BBQ for dinner. Well, guess what?! Yep, he burned it to a crisp!          – Ted & Debbie Leckner – High School and Life-long Buddies

I think I first met Darrell when I was a freshman in high school. Debbie’s dad owned the pool hall in Livington and we began playing pool there. We started hanging out together and when my mom first met him she said I needed to hang out with him more. She thought he was a good influence. She was right. We did a little parting along the way until We both went into the service at 18. I ended up stationed in Washington State. About a year or so later Darrell and few other friends from Livingston  came out to visit with me and some of the other relatives and look for a job. Frog, Widaman and another friend. We did a little partying of course. All my friends I ran with out here got along great with all of them. Darrell was the quiet laid back one.. He had that charisma or whatever you might want to call it, One night we decided we were going to a local lake for a kegger. We had a super good time and was heading home and there was 3 cars full of friends. One of my Washington friends was driving his 55 chev with 2 others and Darrell. He was going a little too fast around a sharp corner and rolled it off into a field. Nobody got a scratch and It brought about a scene that looked like the keystone cops.  Everyone was laughing so hard running around getting all the beer cans out of the car and one of the other cars following behind, picked up the keg and went down the road and hid it. To make a long story short, this friend of mine that was driving had so many speeding tickets he probably would have ended up in jail for a while if the cops thought he was the driver. So Darrell being the person he was told Bob that he would confess to driving the car. Being he was from Montana and not used to the road he thought that the cops would not charge him for anything major, which they didn’t. Bob never forgot what he did for him. Thats Darrell!!! He would do anything for anybody.  We continued to be more than just valued friends over the years and I will never forget how much he affected me and my family’s life. Believe me he will be missed so much!!!!!!!                       – Tully & Jan Swanberg – High School and Life-long Buddies

UNCLE D – STORIES AND MEMORIES

SKYDIVING – Best skydiving partner I could have ever asked for. I wouldn’t even had known he was interested until Aunt Sandy told me he would love to go with me when I go. So naturally, to me, that meant he was invited to come with me every time. He had a blast on our first tandem jump with our instructors showing us the ropes while being strapped to our backs. Our goal was to get our skydiving license so we could skydive from altitude alone, but unfortunately, Uncle D never really got the hang of how he was supposed to position his body during the free fall. But one of his favorite things to say, was to call our instructors “the monkeys on our back.” On our last solo trip together he really and truly scared the absolute crap out of me. He left the plane first, which was odd for us because he usually liked to watch me go first. But on this particular day, in this particular plane, that is just the way we ended up getting sat in the little Cessna plane area we had for our jump that day. Both of us being too polite to ask our instructors to let us trade places because that is just how we are I suppose. I watched him go first and somehow during his few hundred feet of free fall, he had gotten tangled up in the lines of his chute. The instructor and I watched in a silent panic as the chute didn’t quite deploy correctly. Until a few moments later, Uncle D calmly reaches up and gets his lines all squared away and we all see and hear, “good chute” over the radio. I happily quit our goal of getting our skydiving license that very day because I couldn’t imagine losing my best friend. As much as the monkeys on his back annoyed him, he gladly went back for another tandem with Wendy and I one last time after that.

BAR BUILDING – For those who knew D, he was a perfectionist through and through. I like to think he was the main reason I care so much about the end/finish product when I go about building, assembling, or repairing anything today. But if you think, you can say someone you know is a perfectionist, try working with D. He took the word perfectionist to a whole new level. The perfect perfectionist if you will. We started with a “simple” design for some wasted space in the basement of my first home for a bar. I would host one big party a year on Halloween and it was hard to store kegs and drinks out in the yard or on the back deck. So the “simple” bar idea was set into motion. D and I have similar taste in how we like our wood products to look. We like to be able to see the grain of our wood on the projects. We disliked hiding the natural grain and texture with too dark of stain or god forbid paint on wood. That was a big no-no. We set out in search of the type of wood we wanted to work with and soon we both stumbled upon a couple pieces of birch that had beautiful and unique patterns and colors. We also quickly agreed on some tasteful but simple molding. With wood in hand, we started The Build of Builds. We spent almost every other weekend, if not every weekend, in the wood shop working on our “simple” bar for hours at a time. This is when I truly learned, nothing is “simple” with Uncle D. He had so many ideas and thoughts about how we could maximize the shelving area, improve the sink location, How to best place the kegarator, and mini fridge. He had ideas for glass wear storage and how to keep the bar solid and not shifting. I couldn’t say “no” to any of his ideas or suggestions, because they were all well thought out and I couldn’t help but agree it would be best to do it the right and best possible way we could. A year had passed until we actually finished our “simple” bar project, but I tell you what, I wouldn’t trade it for the world. It was easily the best and my favorite project I ever had the honor to be associated with. We had built it so well, I feared trying to take it with us when it came time for my family to move on to a new-to-us house. Later on, as a gift, Uncle D had taken a piece of that project and made me a “bar time” clock with it, that I still hold precious to this very day. I may not have been able to keep the bar I was so proud of building with him, but I will always keep the clock. My favorite quotes for this project were “what was that measurement again?”, “How big was that fridge again?” & “put your (safety) glasses on!”, “are you helping me? Oh thank you” (to Eros the dog, trying to steal Uncle D’s love and kissing him while he was crouched on the floor assembling the bar).

HAY SHED BUILDING – I tried to build my family a new hay shed by myself. Tried my best not to get the master craftsman himself involved because I thought it would be simple and I could handle it on my own. Well once I got a couple holes and poles in the ground I realized I might have bit off more than I could chew alone. I called Uncle D and asked for a little advice on how he would go about building something like I was building (A 10×20 slightly over complicated lean-to). And I heard one of his favorite lines, “I’ll just come and take a gander and see what I see!” In translation for those who hadn’t heard this one, “I’ll be right over and I’m going to help.” 2 weeks later and a lot of learning for both of us and we had a beautiful hay shed that was actually a Mother’s day gift for my wife. Favorite quotes, “(burps). Ooooow coffee!” “Get it taut and it will do just fine”

ALICIA & RYAN’S SHED – fearless man. Stepped right up to the edge of this double pitched barn roof and never once concerned he was going to slip or fall. Favorite quotes were, “who designed this thing” and “HEADACHE!” when we dropped anything off the roof by accident. “Going to need another hole in this belt” because we all know, we could never get too much weight on him

SNOOKER & POOL PLAYING – I would play snooker and pool with Uncle D and he would just absolutely obliterate me. It got to the point where he would try a difficult shot over an easy one just to give me a chance to catch up. He always thought I didn’t notice but I did, and I never told him I knew. He wanted to play for enjoyment and that what we always did. It didn’t matter if we won or lost, it was just about spending time together, jamming to some classic rock out in the shop. He always say, “we’ll try him once across over here in the corner” meaning a difficult shot down to the other end, bouncing off the far bumper, and back to the near corner he was shooting from. A shot that he never had to take but he then would still somehow make it anyway, on occasion, to no one’s surprise. It was the best time I ever had losing to anyone and I hate losing haha. I also loved how he would have a piece of sand paper near the cue stick rack so he could round his pool stick tip to a perfect circular roundness. His eye for the fine detail has always astounded me.

VISITING ME IN THE HOSPITAL – Stupid me, crashed my dirt bike at the motocross track and wound up peeing blood. Foolishly asked my mother if that was something normal and got escorted to the hospital, unwillingly, just like Uncle D would most likely be. Come to find out, I had lacerated my kidney and bruised my spleen. Not knowing this at the time or the severity of my injuries, I refused pain meds because I wasn’t really hurting and quite frankly feared how much they might cost. Uncle D and Aunt Sandy had come to check in on me with the family while I was in the E.R. waiting for my turn to go in for a Scan. When suddenly the pain started to slowly creep into existence as the adrenaline had warn off. I held off asking for anything for the pain as long as I could (for fear of the hospital bill and wanting to be released to go home), but as soon as Uncle D sensed that first tear from the pain, well up in my eye, he says to my roommate Casey and I, “go get the nurse, I’m sorry bud but you’re getting some meds!” I just cracked a short huff laugh and shook my head up and down. There was no telling him no at that point. Forever the protector!

WRESTLING – The one and only year I wrestled in middle school, Uncle D and Aunt Sandy made it to my first ever wrestling match. I did pretty good but became winded and lost the match in the final minutes of the final round. The coach being a little bit of an overexcited dummy, meaning to motivate me after the match had ended, gave me a few words and then a little bit of an overly aggressive smack on the back the head. I didn’t even have to look up in the stands before I could feel and hear Uncle D’s footsteps stomping down those bleachers to give the coach a piece of his mind about hitting me. The man was hardly ever angry with me or anyone else throughout my time in his life with him. But when he decided it was time to be angry, that man could scare the piss out of anyone. Let’s just say the coach never made that mistake, again!

CARD PLAYING – “Oh, that must be mine then!” during Cards Against Humanity. “Who dealt this crap?” when he was the dealer during Pinochle. “I win, ha ha (playful laugh)” during Skip-Bo.

WOOD WORKING – FINESSE – Master craftsman is his title and will forever be his. He could make anything you asked him to. A bar, a shed, a shuffleboard table, shelves, you name it, he could build it. And it might just stay standing until the year 2100. But he would always say “finesse” I never quite understood it, but I promise (swear to god) I have tried. Uncle D tried his damnedest throughout my entire life to teach me, “finesse.” To this very day, I still struggle with it honestly. I break things that I probably shouldn’t be able to. And I can just hear him say, “Chinese piece of junk” and I smile (because it hasn’t nothing to do with China and I think he also knew that… just trying to make me feel better). I’m not sure what the quote was exactly, but he said to my mom one day, “Sis, I have tried to teach him how to finesse things, but he just has too much brute in him.” Too much brute or not, I know this man supported me, loved us all, never once made me feel like an outsider, or a burden to him.

Random favorite phrases – “Wellllllllll, we will see how you feel when you’re closer to my age”.

“Eeeeeeeasy now!”

“Take er easy and don’t work too hard”

“When you can, no rush on our part” – never one to hurry me even though I would always put his and Aunt Sandy’s stuff first, no matter what he said.

“Focus, ladies! Focus!” – when we were shopping with the mothers haha

Whispering “chalk” – after I just mishit the cue ball because I forgot to re-chalk my pool stick tip.

“You got a level somewhere around here?”

“What in the hell was that?” – watching college basketball – go Zags

“That don’t look quite right”

“Close, we are just off a smidge” – proceeds to bump the wood project with an open palm or finger

“Let me check out in the shop, I think I got something that might work for that”

Final thoughts – We all know Darrell Shulins was a great man. No man is perfect and god knows we all have our flaws and have made mistakes. But I sure as hell couldn’t have picked a better role model to idolize and look up to than Darrell. He stepped in as a father figure to me when my father sadly passed when I was 2 years old. He was not only a great man but a better friend. He always showed me kindness and love no matter what stupid thing I had just said or done. He was the one to always enlighten me when I had done wrong or helped me see how I could have handled a situation in a better way. He loved with all his heart, as I loved him with all of mine. I know it’s selfish, but I always wished I could steal more of his time because he was my rock of wisdom, and a man of understanding. He wasn’t afraid to be wrong but he always seemed to know what was right. He never said it to me, but he did say it to my wife one day while he was helping me build our hay shed. He said, “I would do anything for that kid!” And honestly, I never said it to him either, but I would have done anything for him as well. We laughed together, we cried together, and we worked our way through some hard times together too. There wasn’t anyone that could make me smile more than him and that was just the way he was. He had a way of pulling the tension right out of me and making me laugh about why I was so tense in the first place. He was the toughest guy I know and the most selfless. He taught me a lot about working hard, having a strong will, and being a man. A man, that, at the end of the day, can hold his head high because he worked as hard as he could to be a better man than he was the day before. A man that does the dishes, or vacuums the house because that is just what we do. He taught me to help when I can and to do my best no matter what. He is loved, he is missed, and he will always hold a special place in my heart. I know he’s up there (probably building himself a snooker table in a wood shop somewhere) and he’s watching over us now. I can only hope to make him and the others proud as they watch over us, and I am proud to have been blessed to have him be part of our life.        Aaron Aichele – Godson and Buddy

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