Darlene Mary (Chaon) Gehant, 93, of West Brooklyn, Illinois, died peacefully in her home on February 2, 2026. Darlene was born in West Brooklyn on January 2, 1933, to Oliver H. and Alberta M. (Dinges) Chaon. She came from very humble beginnings, and her early childhood farmhouse lacked electricity, running water, and all modern conveniences. Darlene was the eldest of three sisters and since there were no brothers, Darlene had to learn every task on the farm to help her folks. She drove tractors, bailed hay, shocked oats, collected eggs, and milked cows. She would often reminisce of operating an old Oliver tractor when her feet could barely reach the pedals. The work ethic that she developed as a young farm girl became a source of strength and identity for her throughout life. Darlene’s early education consisted of attending a one-room schoolhouse, endearingly known as the Zinke School. She was exposed to reading, writing, and arithmetic, and she excelled in the classroom as a young child. Darlene later attended St. Mary’s School and West Brooklyn High School before graduating from the Mount St. Clare Academy in Clinton, Iowa. Attending Mount St. Clare, she followed in the footsteps of her mother, mother-in-law, cousins, and family friends. It was a school and religious community in which she took great pride. While at the Mount, Darlene had the opportunity to travel to the Vatican for the Holy Year Jubilee in 1950 and had an audience with Pope Pius XII. As a sixteen-year-old girl, who had rarely set foot outside of Lee County, she sailed from New York to France on the Queen Elizabeth, and in doing so, experienced the rough seas of the Atlantic Ocean. This most likely contributed to her lifelong aversion to water.

Darlene met her husband Robert A. Gehant when she started her job at the H.F. Gehant Banking Company on her 18th birthday, and the two were married on April 7, 1953, at St. Mary’s Church in West Brooklyn. With very few interruptions, Darlene worked at the bank until the age of 87. Other than her family, the bank provided the greatest joy and satisfaction in her life. She loved her coworkers and thoroughly enjoyed working with customers (even the bank examiners). She progressed from farm girl to Senior Vice President and Director, joining several other area farm girls who excelled in the banking profession in neighboring banks.

Darlene was baptized, received first holy communion, was confirmed and married in St. Mary’s of the Assumption Church in West Brooklyn. Her faith was the guiding constant of her life, and it was the source of her quiet, yet remarkable personal strength. She served as a lay minister, was a member of the Altar Society, and she sang in the choir for many years which was one of the greatest joys of her life. Darlene prayed the rosary for her children every day. She saw the best in everyone, and she had a Christlike empathy for those who were suffering or struggling with life’s challenges. Her abiding wish for the world was peace, and she emulated her favorite saint, Saint Francis, in her daily life. Darlene loved her work and her community, and she also had several other activities that she enjoyed. Darlene always had a large garden. She and her grandfather, George Dinges, would plant everything imaginable and then spend time together watching it grow. Throughout the years, Darlene served as the de facto town historian. Quite often, community members and even complete strangers, would stop by her home after visiting the cemetery to inquire about their ancestors. Darlene had a remarkable memory, and she often could offer historical and ancestral information. In her later years, Darlene’s enjoyed sitting at the edge of her garage and watching the comings and goings of West Brooklyn, a community that she truly loved. Darlene had a lifelong connection with and affinity for Mount Saint Clare, serving on their finance board for many years.

Darlene was preceded in death by her husband Robert A. Gehant, parents Oliver H. and Alberta M. Chaon, and her sisters Donna Mae (George) Johnson and Rose Marie (Pete) MacKay. She is survived by her daughter Ann F. Gehant (Ed Kavanaugh) of Champaign, Illinois, and sons William A. (Deirdre) Gehant of West Brooklyn, and Timothy R. Gehant (Glen Rexing) of Chicago, Illinois. Darlene Is also survived by her grandchildren Conor DuBoyce, Brad Kavanaugh, and Kelly Lord and her many nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Sisters of St. Francis in Clinton, IA, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Also, in Darlene’s memory, please pass along a smile and a kind word. That would mean the world to her.

Funeral Mass for Darlene will be held on Saturday, February 7, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in West Brooklyn, Illinois, with Father Randy Fronek officiating. Visitation will be held on Friday, February 6, 2026, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Horner-Merritt Funeral Home in Mendota, Illinois. Burial will follow services at St. Mary’s Cemetery in West Brooklyn, Illinois.