Darrell Micken loved stories. He was born in Great Falls, Montana in 1935, "on Halloween night in the middle of the great Helena earthquake," as he loved to tell it. The second-born of twins, Darrell and his brother Donald joined their 18-month-old brother, Ewing ("BJ"), in Cutbank. "When we were 10, my parents 'made us' move to the Flathead right before oil was discovered on our Cutbank property -- the property we'd just sold."
Growing up on Flathead Lake offered adventures for stories that Darrell would tell for the rest of his life. His dad owned and ran a grocery store with cabins and boat rentals, and the boys all learned to work at a young age -- in the store, helping with rentals, pumping gas for tourists, and doing general maintenance. He said his mom was a terrible cook, so they learned that skill early, too. They worked in the cherry orchards spraying, picking, pruning, and thinning, and did their fair share of babysitting for a family with triplets and twins just down the road. The lake offered endless opportunity for swimming, boating, fishing, camping, and fires on the beach -- really an idyllic childhood.
In high school he was a natural leader in student government, basketball and track, and several clubs and after-school activities including Boy Scouts, DeMolay, and square dance. In 1955 he was admitted to Montana State College, but at the end of his freshman year, his advisor ("which I didn't even know I had") called him into his office to say (referring to his 0.4 GPA) that the staff didn't think he was "college material -- at this time." He enlisted in the Army, where he became part of the 82nd Airborne Division, was trained in communication devices and repair, and served in the 9th Engineer Battalion while stationed in Germany. After returning to Montana, he served in the Army Reserve from 1958-1962 and reenrolled at Montana State, this time resulting in a much-improved GPA and a bachelor's degree.
Daughter Kelly was born to Darrell (and Adrienne Smith) in Bozeman. Although not planning on a teaching career, by a twist of fate Darrell fell in love with teaching, in Valier, Mont., where son Robert was born, and then in Kalispell, where Darrell also coached debate. He had students come up to him many years later telling him what an inspiration he had been to them.
Darrell earned a Master of Audiology at University of Montana and served as clinical director of audiology services at their speech and hearing clinic. In 1974, he was hired by Easter Seals to establish a statewide school hearing screening, moving back to Bozeman to implement the program housed in MSU's communications department, where he also taught a communications disorders class.
He and Lee (Eliel Shideler) married on the shore of Flathead Lake at his home at Woods Bay in 1975. Darrell was instrumental in developing the statewide Hearing Conservation Program, the first of its kind in the country and later modeled by many other states. In 1983 Darrell retired from his position with Easter Seals and joined Lee in their audiology private practice, Micken Hearing Services, in Bozeman. Sons Brian and Sean were both born in Bozeman. Darrell earned his professional doctorate in Audiology (AuD) in 2000 through the Arizona School of Health Sciences, one of the first AuD graduates in the country. He and Lee sold their business in 2009.
Darrell proudly served his professional community on both the state and national levels. He was on the first committee to write legislation for professional licensing of speech pathologists and audiologists in the state of Montana and served on the state licensure board. He was a member of the American Speech and Hearing Association and served as Legislative Counselor to Montana. He served on the board of the Audiology Foundation of America, which was instrumental in developing the examination tool that helped thousands of audiologists, beginning in 2000, earn their AuDs. He joined Bozeman Noon Rotary Club in 1974 and was an honorary member at the time of his passing. With Rotary's generous support, he and his colleague and hearing aid specialist Dudley Anderson, who was a member of Missoula Rotary, developed humanitarian programs in Oaxaca, Mexico and the Dominican Republic to fit donated hearing aids to children and adults, programs that eventually became self-supporting.
Darrell always said that one of his proudest achievements in life was his commitment to sobriety in 1986. He was one of the original founders of Fellowship Hall in Bozeman and regularly attended meetings there until 2023, making lasting friends and inspiring many by his example.
Darrell was passionate about so many things -- besides socializing, he loved dancing, collecting rocks, camping, skiing and hiking, which eventually had to go by the wayside because of a knee injury. He loved clouds. Neil Diamond music. Being busy. He was a practical joker with a wonderful sense of humor, a stellar whistler, and a hopeless romantic. He enjoyed word play and keeping alive his own childhood language "Oppenglopish," invented with his brothers. He delighted in chocolate and mochas, children and animals, and made friends easily.
Darrell was diagnosed with Alzheimer's dementia in 2014 and died 10 years later in Bozeman on June 24, 2024.
He was able to live at home until 2023. Special thanks to Dr. Shalina Lingley, to Home Instead, and to his wonderful friends and caregivers Miranda Lentz and Emily Propst, who helped make that possible. Thanks also to the dedicated staff at Spring Creek Inn memory care, Enhabit Hospice, and Helton Hearing Care. Finally, deepest gratitude to his good friend of 46 years, Harvey Hasler and to Jon and Patti Ford, all of whom were true to the end. All of them enriched his life and helped him live it to the fullest extent possible.
Darrell is preceded in death by his twin brother Donald and brother BJ, and parents Robert and Juanita Micken.
He is survived by his wife, Lee; four children, daughter Kelly Bernard (Bill) in Edmonds, Wash.; son Robert (Sandra) from Helena, Mt.; sons Brian (Staley) and Sean (Erin) from Bend, Or.; seven grandchildren, Philip and Patrick (Bernard), Seray, Eaven, Lydia, Violet, and Rowan (Micken); "sister-cousin" Loris ("Lori") Micken (Livingston); and cousin Cheryl Lowe (San Diego). All, in addition to the many relatives on Lee's side who considered him family, will miss him beyond words.
A Celebration of Life will be held at Fellowship Hall, 2165 Durston Rd. in Bozeman on September 20, 2024 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. The service will be webcast through Dokken-Nelson Funeral Service (www.dokkennelson.com [dokkennelson.com]).
In honor of Darrell, donations can be made to Fellowship Hall (2165 Durston Rd., Bozeman, MT., 59718); Heart of the Valley Animal Shelter (1549 E. Cameron Bridge Rd., Bozeman, MT., 59718); or Bozeman Noon Rotary Club (P.O. Box 6133, Bozeman, MT. 59771).
Arrangements are in the care of Dokken-Nelson Funeral Service. www.dokkennelson.com [dokkennelson.com]
