Darrel Devon Diener, 83, beloved husband, brother, father and doctor, died Oct. 18, 2025, after living with Parkinson’s disease for over 20 years and dementia for four years.
He was born April 25, 1942, in Hutchinson, Kan., to Carrie and Daniel Diener, and the family moved to Middlebury, Ind., in 1943. At Goshen College, he courted Leona Saxton, and they graduated in 1964. They married on Aug. 16, 1964, and moved to Aibonito, Puerto Rico, for two years of alternative service. Darrel worked in the laboratory of the Mennonite Hospital and taught at Academia Menonita Betania before starting medical school at the University of Puerto Rico in 1966. He graduated in 1970, took on an internship in Youngstown, Ohio, for a year and returned to Puerto Rico to work at the Mennonite hospital in Aibonito. He served as medical director and director of the emergency room, clinic and intensive care unit from 1974 to 1994. He was the founding director of the hospice program.
In 1978 and 1990, the couple traveled with their children to Nepal, where Darrel served with the Evangelical Alliance Mission at two hospitals for six months.
In 1994, they moved to McAllen, Texas, where he worked at the Valley Medical Arts Clinic and as medical director of various nursing homes until retiring in 2010. They became aware of the needs of immigrants and became involved in providing services, including housing.
Darrel’s life was guided by his deep faith. He and Leona were active church members in Iglesia Evangelica Menonita in Aibonito, Puerto Rico, and later in Iglesia Buenas Nuevas in San Juan, Texas. In 2021, they began attending Walnut Hill Mennonite Church in Goshen.
They took trips with family to Mexico, India, Sudan, Egypt, Palestine, Europe, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore and as a couple to Iran, Turkey, Russia, China, Burma and many other countries. They attended seven consecutive Mennonite World Conferences from 1978 to 2015.
A skilled woodworker, he made small intricate pieces as well as bookcases and desks.
He is survived by his wife, Leona; three children, Daniel (Lynn) Diener, Denise (Gilberto Perez Jr.) Diener both of Goshen, Ind., and David (Joanna) Moyer-Diener of Harrisonburg, Va.; eight grandchildren; one great-grandchild and siblings Karen (George) Thompson and Maribeth (Howard) Friesen, both of Goshen. He was preceded in death by brother Herbert in 1958, father Daniel in 2002 and mother Carrie in 2020.
