Darla Kathleen Phoenix

Darla Kathleen Phoenix was a private citizen of Battle Creek, Michigan, whose death on November 1, 2026 was announced through a family obituary rather than through any news organization. The research gathered for this page found no evidence that she held public office, worked in entertainment, sport, politics or any other field that would have made her a public figure, and no outlet beyond a funeral home notice has reported on her life. This page exists because her name was submitted for a memorial entry, and it sets out, plainly and without embellishment, what her family has made public.

She was born on August 26, 1939, in Reed City, Michigan. Reed City is a small city in Osceola County in the northern Lower Peninsula, and her family's published notice does not describe her childhood, schooling or early working life in any detail. By the time of her death she had made her home in Battle Creek, a city in southwestern Michigan, and it was there that she died.

According to her family, <cite index="0-1">she was preceded in death by her husband, Larry Phoenix, and her daughter, Cheryl Campbell.</cite> She was survived by her daughter Caren Ray and her husband Larry, by grandchildren Ryan Ray, Daren Ray, Lauren Ray and Corrie Farrell with their spouses, and by seven great grandchildren. <cite index="0-2">Darla had a love for shopping and traveling, enjoying the experiences and adventures life had to offer.</cite> <cite index="0-2">She also had a special place in her heart for her beloved Shih Tzu dogs and her Himalayan cat, Neko, who brought her companionship and joy.</cite> These details, drawn from the family's own words, are the fullest public record of who she was.

No cause of death has been made public, and nothing in the family's notice or in any other source found for this page addresses the circumstances of her death. <cite index="0-3">She was cremated, and in keeping with her wishes there will be no formal services. She will instead be remembered privately.</cite> There is, accordingly, no public memorial, visitation or service for admirers or acquaintances to attend.

Because Darla Kathleen Phoenix was not a public figure, there is no wider cultural, professional or civic legacy to record. Her family's notice frames her life in the language of private remembrance rather than public achievement, and this page follows that lead. What can be said with confidence is that she lived to the age of 87, that she was a wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother, and that her family chose to mark her passing with a brief, warm tribute rather than a public account of her career or accomplishments.