Trudy Lee Darrington

Trudy Lee Kemp Darrington left this mortal life on the night of August 3^rd, 2022 due to severe complications from diabetes. Trudy was born in Salt Lake City on February 9^th, 1954 to William Francis Kemp and Mabel Jean Bezzant. She had one older sister, Kathie Jean (deceased) and has a younger brother, Kirt William Kemp. She enjoyed a happy childhood as the middle child in Magna, Utah. Her family lived near her mother’s parents and she had a close relationship with them. As an adult, Trudy spent many hours caring for them as they grew older until their passing. During her youth she learned to play the piano and guitar. When she wasn’t singing solos or performing with an instrument, Trudy and Kirt liked to sing together in church settings and family gatherings. Trudy was a talented artist with her hands. There aren’t many crafts she didn’t excel at. Over the years she loved making things to give to others to beautify their homes and lives. She was always thoughtful in the gifts she gave for birthdays and Christmas. She learned to cook beside her mother and her Grandma Thora and became quite accomplished in the kitchen.  Any food item she brought to a family party or church function was always enjoyed. She liked trying new recipes and didn’t mind sharing the ones that became her favorites. Trudy loved to shop and could sniff out great bargains. She relished the challenge of making her income stretch- not always because she had to- but also just to see if she could. She loved all things Snoopy and Disney- especially Mickey Mouse. Her Snoopy themed Christmas tree and Mickey Mouse decorated bathroom are legend in the family and beyond.

Trudy graduated from Cyprus High School in Magna in 1972. She went on to Westminster College and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Nursing in December 1975. Upon passing the Utah State Board Exam for Registered Nurses, she accepted the position of staff nurse in Labor and Delivery at Valley West Hospital in Granger, Utah. During her nursing career she worked in various positions that took her from Labor and Delivery to working in the Nursery, to becoming a Childbirth Educator, a Staff Educator and for several years - the Director of Labor and Delivery. She brought her best self to work every day and was truly a “team player”. When she became the “Director” her managerial style was that of a “Mentor” rather than that of a “Manager”. Her goal was to give those she worked with (and later became in charge of) the opportunity to become the “best version” of themselves.

In 1983 Valley West Hospital was torn down in stages and replaced by a ‘new state of the art facility’ known as Pioneer Valley Hospital. Trudy was very instrumental in facilitating this transition. In 2015 after several corporate-ownership changes, Pioneer Valley Hospital was renamed to what it is known as today- Jordan Valley West Hospital. This change in ownership opened up the opportunity for Trudy to work between two hospital campuses- Jordan Valley in West Jordan, Utah and Jordan Valley West in West Valley City, Utah. With this change she got to know even more talented people in her profession and expand her work responsibilities. Sadly in 2018 her “several” positions at work were all eliminated due to one more change in corporate-ownership and the new company feeling a need to downsize. Reluctantly she decided it was time to retire. During her 44-plus years in Nursing she felt privileged to assist with thousands of births. She cherished the many wonderful people she worked with and the amazing experiences she had caring for women and newborn babies.

In 1982, when Trudy was 28 years old, she hesitantly agreed to go on a “Blind Date” with a brother of one of her co-workers. Who likes blind dates anyway? In this case it turned out to be worth her while. It took no time for these two to realize they had many interests in common- especially a love for the carbonated beverage - Tab! Does anyone even remember Tab? As they continued dating, infatuation turned to strong like and then definite, love. Allan Bertran Darrington and Trudy Lee Kemp became engaged in January 1983. Later that year on August 5^th they were married in Salt Lake City at “The Old Meeting House” in the presence of many family and friends. Their marriage lasted just 2 days shy of 39 happy years together! On June 22, 1991, their marriage was solemnized in the Jordan River Temple, once again surrounded by family and friends.

Trudy longed to be a mother but as the years went by it became apparent that was not going to happen in the way she had hoped. Seven years into their marriage in 1990, a religious leader invited Trudy and Allan to become “Foster Parents” to a teenage boy named Orlando Martinez. He was entering 10th grade and needed a stable place to live in the Salt Lake City area. They were open to the idea and looked forward to meeting him - until the religious leader told them that one concern he was aware of about Orlando was that “he was in need of braces”. Trudy’s “Nursing mind” went immediately to thoughts of a “body brace” or “leg braces” as a result of some horrible disease or accident that this boy had experienced. She was so relieved when she met him to realize, as he smiled and said “Hello”, that the only braces Orlando needed would be on his TEETH - not his torso or his legs! That first meeting went so well, Orlando soon became a cherished member of their family. Trudy loved the privilege of being a Mother to him and later a grandmother to his two children, Austin and Ariela.

Trudy was a lifelong member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She had great faith and a strong testimony of the Savior, Jesus Christ and the role of His Atonement in her life. She believed in the Restoration of the Gospel through the Prophet Joseph Smith. She served in many church callings over the years. Some of her favorites were in the Primary and Relief Society auxiliaries on both the Ward and Stake levels. She was a natural born teacher and excelled in helping others to learn the Gospel and increase their testimony of the Savior.  

In the mid 1990’s Trudy experienced a diagnosis of cancer with subsequent surgery and radiation that led to her developing insulin dependent diabetes. During the mid-2000’s she had a series of infections that affected her spinal column and caused temporary paralysis. Her path to recovery required two surgeries and months of many different antibiotics to help rid her body of the infections. After each surgery she fought hard to get better with the goal to return home to Allan and get back to her job in Nursing. By shear will and determination she did make it back to both her home and her job. She was doing quite well until a couple of years ago when she experienced a new infection that began so innocently in her foot. As it worsened, she patiently endured months of once again taking many different antibiotics, needing to wear a boot on her affected foot and then later becoming confined to a wheelchair. Her course of treatment also included numerous trips to the University of Utah Medical Center for “maggot therapy”, enduring foot surgery in October 2021, and spending time at two different rehab centers doing aggressive physical therapy to try to strengthen her legs and feet so she could walk again. Allan was always there supporting her every step of the way. When it was recently determined that she would not walk again, he purchased an electric wheel chair and had their home remodeled to accommodate her new “normal”. He was able to bring her home a few days before her body was overcome by severe sepsis.

 As she went through each of these difficult experiences, Trudy chose not to dwell on “Why Me?”  She was not into having a “Pity Party”. Instead she chose to seek for what she felt she needed to learn and was more concerned about how her trials were impacting Allan and Orlando than herself. She was a true saint showing us all an amazing example of what it means to ‘Endure Well To The End’!

Trudy leaves behind; her husband Allan Darrington, her son Orlando, two grandchildren, Austin and Ariela, her sister Kathie’s son Brett Schwab, his spouse Wendy and their three children, Kathie’s son Krystuffer Schwab, her brother Kirt Kemp, his four daughters, Dana Tran Page, her spouse Chris and their two sons, Melissa Kemp, Lisa Kemp and Elizabeth Thora Kemp, Kirt’s wife Cifadel (Tads) and his step-daughter Camille Pesascio and several cousins. She also leaves behind Allan’s six siblings and their spouses, Vicki Darrington, Mary Anne (James) Warren, Bonnie (Gary) Allred, Fred Darrington, Russ (Tracie) Darrington and Jodi (Devon) Lewis.

Trudy was preceded in death by; her parents William Francis Kemp and Mabel Jean Bezzant Kemp, her sister Kathie, her maternal grandparents William Alfred Bezzant and Thora Long Hone Bezzant, and her paternal grandparents Fredrick George Kemp and Laura Louisa Butt Kemp.

Family and Friends are invited to the viewing of Trudy on Friday, August 12, 2022 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Peel Funeral Home, 8535 West Magna Main Street (2700 South) Magna, Utah and also on Saturday, August 13, 10:30 a.m. in the LDS Chapel located at 2810 South 6400 West W.V.C., Utah. Her funeral will follow at this location at Noon. Interment will be Monday, August 15, at 2 p.m. at Valley View Memorial Park Mausoleum located at 4335 West 4100 South W.V.C., Utah.