Darrell Kirchner passed away unexpectedly on November 4, 2025, after a recent hip fracture, just 74 days after the death of his beloved wife, Hazel. Born to Californians of German and Irish heritage, William and Anna Mae Kirchner, in Santa Cruz, CA, Darrell spent his early and adolescent years living on Sunnyside Avenue. He attended Santa Cruz High School where he lettered in various sports and in his junior year met Hazel, the love of his life.

The Santa Cruz High School sweethearts were married at the Holy Cross Mission on January 3, 1948 and spent a full lifetime together (77 plus years). They started their family in the early 1950s, eventually welcoming daughters Linda, Joan and Carol to the household. They built two family homes in the beautiful banana belt of Santa Cruz, where they lived for nearly 75 years, just a few blocks away from where Darrell grew up.

Darrell’s early love of cars may have been passed down from his father, who owned and operated Bill’s Garage on Soquel Avenue and a Richfield Service Station on Center Street. At 16 years of age Darrell bought his first car: a 1936 Dodge. He spent the majority of his career working at Prolo Chevrolet on Pacific Avenue as Parts Manager. Darrell had a propensity for remembering GM part numbers and still could recite them in his later years. He had a special love for the Chevrolet Corvair and restored two convertibles in his spare time. Later he worked for Pacific Coast Interprises.

Darrell was a natural storyteller. Family and friends enjoyed hearing his Santa Cruz stories about his first paper route; his job at the Boardwalk as a “ring boy” at the Carousel, where he manually refilled the rings that riders tossed at the clown’s gaping mouth; and his swimming escapades at the Plunge. He purchased his first wetsuit at Jack O’Neill’s garage to use while clamming at Sunset Beach.

Darrell and Hazel enjoyed many vacations with family. Darrell especially loved going to Lake Tahoe (“the mile high lake in the sky”) every summer for over 50 years. He enjoyed swimming in the lake and frequently did a swan dive into the water upon arriving at the beach. Their travels also included many tropical getaways, with several cruises through the Caribbean, and multiple visits to Hawaii and Florida. Later in life, they enjoyed occasional motorhome trips to Palm Springs to attend the Corvair Swap Meet.

Throughout his life Darrell enjoyed volunteering and learning. In early years he was active in the local Boy Scouts as a leader in its training program. In 1961 Darrell became a charter member of the Kiwanis Club of Surf City, serving as an active member for 51 years. His favorite annual club event was cooking and selling calamari at the Gilroy Garlic Festival. During his busy years with family and work, Darrell attended Cabrillo College at night and after 10 years earned his A.A. degree in Electronics. He saved his least favorite subject, English, for last and, to his surprise, was praised by his instructor to be a natural born writer.

Darrell was a dedicated and loyal family man. He loved that his three daughters and their families lived close by and were a big part of his life. In his later years, Darrell spent most of his time caring for Hazel and ensuring that she received the very best care.

Darrell meant the world to his family; his enthusiasm, optimism, and love of life—even in the hardest of times—were inspiring. We are grateful we had this time with him and that he was able to enjoy quality of life until the end. He will be deeply missed.

Darrell was laid to rest on November 14, 2025 at a private family service. He is survived by his daughters, Linda Armstrong (Len), Joan Webber (Peter) and Carol Kirchner; his grandchildren, Jeff Armstrong and Leah Conner (Kip); and his great granddaughter, Lola Wren Conner.

A celebration of both his and Hazel’s life will be announced at a later date. If so inclined, please consider a memorial donation to Kiwanis Club of Surf City (P.O. Box 1223, Santa Cruz, CA 95061) or to Teen Kitchen Project of Santa Cruz (2890 Soquel Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA 95062).