Darrel Lee McCartney

Inland resident Darrel Lee McCartney, 82, passed away Saturday, November 19, 2022, at Mary Lanning Healthcare, Hastings, NE.   

Services with Masonic memorial tribute will be 10 a.m. Friday, November 25, at Butler Volland Chapel in Hastings with Pastor Michelle Loeffelholz officiating. Private family burial will be at Mount Hope Cemetery, Smith County, KS. Visitation will be one hour before the service at the funeral home. Memorials may be given to the family for a memorial to be established at a later date. The service will be live-streamed on Livingston Butler Volland Funeral Home’s website. To view the service, go to Darrel’s obituary and click the play button shown towards the bottom of the page.

Darrel was born April 14, 1940, the 4^th child of George and Berniece (Delka) McCartney, at home in Smith County, Kansas. The family was living in the house made of yellow rock at the time. Darrel attended Oriole country school through the 8^th grade. He graduated from Red Cloud High School in 1958.

He married his high school sweetheart, Donna Hayes on June 14, 1959. It was a relationship that would last 63 years. Darrel and Donna began their life together in Hardin, Montana where he was working as a telegraph lineman for CB&Q Railroad.

In November 1963, Darrel started working for Lincoln Telephone and Telegraph Company. Darrel continued working for the telephone company until his retirement in 1997. Through the years, he was active in the CWA union, attended many schools of instruction on telephone equipment; and eventually became supervisor of the LT&T Switch Room prior to his retirement in 1997.

Darrel was active in the Harvard Volunteer Fire Department for 49 years. He was also on the Inland School Board for many years. In the 1980’s Darrel joined the Masonic organizations in Hastings, Nebraska belonging to Masonic Lodge #50, Scottish Rite, Order of the Eastern Star, and Shrine. He was Potentate of Tehama Shrine in 1998.

When the Inland School closed, the Inland Community Foundation was formed to use the old school building as a community center. Darrel and Donna were both officers from the beginning of the organization.

Darrel was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Paul Edward, Robert, Donald, and Lloyd; sister-in-law, Ruth McCartney; brother-in-law, Wilber Reibold; father-in-law, William “Jake” Hayes; and mother-in-law, Ella Hayes Olena.

Survived by wife of 63 years, Donna; son, Randall (Becky) McCartney of Gretna, NE; daughter, Carol McCartney and significant other Derek Ditmore of Topeka, KS; grandchildren, Miranda McCartney (Nash Hensen) of Edgewater, CO, Elizabeth McCartney of Millard, NE, Rebecca (Gary) Westphal of Topeka, KS, Jessica (Travis) Heck of Tulsa, OK, Michelle Ditmore of Topeka, KS, Darrel Easton Ditmore and Danielle Ditmore of Topeka, KS; sisters, Mary Reibold of Red Cloud, NE and Linda (John) Biltoft of Oak, NE; sisters-in-law, Mary Ann McCartney of Hastings, NE, Barb McCartney of Nelson, NE, and Carla Browne of Sheridan, WY; three great-grandchildren; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Bonus family: 2^nd father-in-law, Floyd Olena (deceased), his children, Floyd Michael (deceased) Linda, Elma (Bob deceased) Garner, Linoma (Dwyane) Cockroft, Luanne Lane, Harold (Doris deceased), and Cheryl (Tom) Mullin (both deceased).