George William Darrell Pickett passed away January 29, 2023 at 4:00 a.m. at the age of 92.
Darrell was born on November 14, 1930 in Hartford, Kansas, the youngest child of James Franklin and Hazel Ruth (McCullough) Pickett. He attended school in Harford and Wichita, KS and Omaha, NE. As an adult, he graduated from Hastings College in Hastings, NE and St. Paul School of Theology, Methodist in Kansas City, MO.
In 1946 he was married to Norma Jean Eslinger. The couple had seven children.
Darrell worked as a grocer, service station operator, and was a greenhouse grower and floral designer at Country Club Florist in Omaha. He became active in Asbury Methodist Church in Omaha, and in 1960 was appointed to serve the Julian, NE Methodist Church. He later pastored Crawford Valley and Stark Valley Methodist Churches near Plainview, NE, Trumbull United Methodist Church, and Red Cloud First United Methodist Church. He left the ministry in 1972, and began working at North Platte Opportunity Center in 1975. He retired as administrator of NPOC in 1994.
In 1976 Darrell married Joyce Robertson.
In North Platte, he was involved in First United Methodist Church, North Platte Chamber of Commerce, United Way, and Buffalo Bill Kiwanis.
Darrell enjoyed traveling, reading – history and biographies, and genealogy. His trip to Israel, Egypt, Greece, Italy and Switzerland, while he was attending Hastings College was a highlight of his life. He also traveled extensively throughout the United States, and into Canada and Mexico. Like Thomas Jefferson, whom he greatly admired, he felt he could not live without his books. He and Joyce also developed a great interest in family history and genealogy.
He is preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Joyce; two daughters, Pamela Kay and Deborah Louise; two granddaughters and a grandson, Mykayah Hodgen, Lori Remmenga and Scott Thomas; two sisters, Georgia Wilma Baker and Fayrene Pearl Wood; two brothers, James Norman (Perk) and Franklin Odell (Bud); and two half-brothers, William and David Pickett.
He is survived by two daughters, Belinda Sue (David) Peirce of Fremont, NE; Lisa Anne Pickett of North Platte; three sons, Kevin Brett (Linda) of Colorado Springs, CO; Trent Darrell (Tracey) of Wichita, KS; and Trevor Gene (Kris) of Nixa, MO; step-daughter, Nancy Dee (David) Remmenga of Clay Center; 20 grandchildren, 44 great grandchildren, 2 great-great grandchildren; four half-sisters, Ruby Belle (James) Beck, Marcella (Randy) Baird, Donna (Dean) Sullivan and Sarah (Alan) McKool, all of Illinois; as well as many nieces, nephews, cousins, and other relatives.
Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, February 3, 2023 at Carpenter Memorial Chapel in North Platte. Burial will follow in the North Platte Cemetery. Visitation will be from 1:00 – 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 2nd with the family receiving friends from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. at Carpenter Memorial Chapel, which has been entrusted with the arrangements.