I “pulled into” the station that said “DARDEN’S” and heard a voice say, “Hey, Don, how can I help you?” My answer that day was the above headline, but I had been there many times previously through the years. One thing was always constant— John Darden was going to be there, usually outside near the “lift” area, and always with a pleasant smile and greeting!
You know, the station was not always called, “Darden’s.” It was J. H. Ford Grocery and Station (I think!) when I was a younger tyke and was right next to the Roy Thomas Grocery and Station. The two of them were rather like the two on the other side of the cotton gin—Marvin Feagin’s and Dick Farmer’s service stations—but Feagin and Farmer did not sell groceries and other such goods!
Born in Roxton, Texas (Lamar County), September 25, 1938, JOHN WAYNE DARDEN took off on an adventure that would touch literally thousands of people, many of them in the small, wonderful town of Forney, Texas, Kaufman County. His parents were Haskell and Myrle Darden, and his younger brothers were Harold and James.
1956 marked the graduation of John Darden from Roxton High School and the beginning of his career as a “working man.” His first stop was National Cylinder Gas Company as a truck driver, a deliverer of tanks of various gasses and especially oxygen, all needed at Metroplex hospitals.
1957, April 2 to be exact, in Dallas, he met FLOY CROW, who was to become Floy “Mrs. John” Darden not too much later. That first day, the two of them were at a gathering of friends, who were comparing stories of the tornado that had hit the Dallas area that same day.
1959—June 22 again to be exact, John married Floy, or maybe it was the other way around, depending upon who is telling the story! Anyway, it was a union not to be broken!
And to this union one child was born—Susan Elaine— who married Robert “Bobby” Rigby on September 11, 1982, and her really good friend, my wife, Vivian Hood Themer, was the Matron of Honor.
Bobby and Susie had two children (Grandchildren for John and Floy)—Jonathan, who married Maegan, and Heather, who married Shawn.
And now, there are two Great-Grandchildren—Caroline Gentry Rigby and Beau Darden Rigby.
Mr. and Mrs. Darden made a wise decision and moved to Forney in 1967 and soon purchased the building that had housed J. H. Ford Grocery/Gas Station from W. O. Lee Gulf Distributing in Terrell, Texas. (a full-service gas station, which also offered oil changes and tire changes)
Since Forney was still basically a rural farming community, John also repaired many tractor tires, mostly by pounding the rims with a big hammer and using “brute strength” “year-round,” cold in the shivery winters and hot in the sweltering summers. (John was a very nice and mild-mannered man, but if you watched him work, you figured that you did not want to get on his “bad side.”)
Darden’s (mostly John and Floy) also sold groceries, with many charges being “on their account,” which was tallied in a receipt book and usually paid at the end of the week, when the customers got paid.
The Dardens owned the store from 1967—1982 and were open 7-days-per-week from 6:00 a. m. until 11:00 p. m. To help offset their expenses as they were just beginning to “whip the store into shape,” Mr. Darden had a Dallas Morning News paper route. As if he had so much spare time, John had to pick up the papers around 4:00 a. m., then roll and “rubber band” them all, and then drive to just about every area of Forney, using those “tirechanging” muscles to throw the papers out the “driver’s window” with great accuracy so that he would not have to go back to retrieve a paper or would not receive complaints!
Daughter, Susan, (I never called her Susie.) remembers well going with her Dad several times and was amazed at the patience of a man, who would take his 7-year-old daughter along with him just because she wanted to go for the experience and ride. Looking back, she feels sure that she must have slowed him down, but he never seemed upset or made any complaints!
*I must share this with the readers. In class one day, she (Susan) said she had gotten a call while she was helping out at the station, and the caller asked whether or not they had “pig’s feet.” She said she answered, “Yes, we do,” and the called replied, “Then you had better keep your shoes on!” The class roared, except for the two or three, who just “did not get it.”*
Though he worked long hours, Mr. Darden began his “service” to the Forney Community in 1968 by becoming a VOLUNTEER FIREMAN, which culminated in his becoming Fire Chief in 1980. During those years, there were numerous grass fires, set by trains that “sparked” fires, horrible wrecks on what was then Interstate 80 (often caused by drivers who fell asleep and crossed over the medians)— and the largest Forney fire of that time, the “Carpet Foam Plant,” which burned and then smoldered for weeks, never being all the way out!
He began his POLITICAL CAREER in 1970 as a City Councilman and as Mayor Pro-Tem in addition, since he was “always” in Forney and could be “on hand” easier than some of the aldermen, who worked out of town. A few of the council members with whom he served were David Yandell, Edward Nichols, Jimmy Johnson, and Pat Adams.
During his “spare time,” John also was a member of the Brooklyn Masonic Lodge, Kiwanis Club, and Lions Club!
In 1982 he became a Kaufman County Commissioner, and that is when Floy and John sold the station (Darden’s) to Floy’s brother, Buck Crow. Being a Commissioner became Mr. Darden’s main job until 1995. The station continued on much as usual, with Floy’s Mother, Frances, continuing to work there, making her amazing sandwiches, which fed many, many “highschoolers” and “town-workers” their lunch-break meals and quite often their “suppers,” too!
After completing his political career, John began working at another career, managing road crews for the County of Dallas (still living in Forney) and also spending some time at the farm they had bought in Hughes Springs in 1992. There he helped Floy “hone” her gardening skills (or maybe it was the other way around) as they planted and tended the roses, azaleas, and dogwoods, that Floy especially loved.
However, the couple did make plenty of time to work in the yard and garden in Forney and were part of the “Keep Forney Beautiful” campaign, which established flower beds, trees, and shrubs in area “greenbelts” and parks.
You might think that a man as busy as John would have had no time for other activities, but surprisingly to no one, he loved hunting and all sports, taking part in “familytime” activities, and helping others who needed helping hands. JOHN DARDEN LOVED PEOPLE and visiting/working with them!
When asked his favorite foods, John quite often answered, “All of them.” But, his daughter said that probably “Mexican food” was his “most favorite.” Excuse me, “Tex-Mex,” is more accurate,
I have been informed!
His favorite television shows were/are also favorites of mine, especially Hee-Haw and Grand Ol’ Opry….. and any-and-all Westerns. And sometimes when I saw John, wearing his white western hat and western belt and jeans, I thought he looked like a cowboy or a sheriff from the “olden days,” as he strode into a local business or into the stands at Jackrabbit football games.
With this memory, I will close for this week and will be back next with some “follow-up” notes about John Darden.
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