Josephy M. Darling ’59

Joseph Marshall Darling died peacefully surrounded by loved ones on March 3, 2026, in Tucson, Arizona.  He was born February 10, 1938, and lived his 88 years to the fullest. He was born in Bangor, Maine, raised in Bath, Maine and graduated from Morse High School. He then attended the Maine Maritime Academy, and during that time married his wife Betty Ann (Elizabeth) Darling.  They were married 42 years and together they had 4 children, living in Bath, Phippsburg, Cape Elizabeth, and New Gloucester. He went on to work at Fairchild Semiconductor Industries in Portland and kept busy before and after work operating a small farm.

In 1971 he moved to Tucson where his brother, Richard Darling lived and was part owner of the Pioneer Hotel. Joe worked at the Pioneer Hotel during its restoration after the tragic fire, which closed soon after. He then changed careers and talked (truly) his way into the tourism business, and became the Director of Tourism for Tucson, still with a heavy New England accent, which did not bother him a bit. He was a skilled salesperson and people person, and was offered a position at Westward Look Resort as the Marketing Director, successfully promoting Tucson tourism even during the hot summer months. This led him to his next marketing position promoting tourism and helping to develop a golf course and resort in San Carlos, Mexico.

He missed his Maine roots and moved back in 1978 and tried his hand at operating a general store, which was much more difficult than he and his family ever imagined. He returned to the hotel industry working briefly in Massachusetts, but returned to Tucson and Westward Look when he was offered the position of General Manager. Opportunity again presented itself, and in 1983 was offered the position of General Manager of Tucson National Golf Resort.

Eager to live in other places, he traveled restoring resorts in South Carolina, Florida, French Lick, Indiana and Austin, Texas. He loved the challenge and was very skilled at being both charming and a good delegator which brought him much success. All the while he was able to hone his golf skills, often playing 18 holes of golf as a part of his work day. He returned to Tucson in 1993 with his wife Betty so they could be there for the birth of their first grandchild. He retired from Rio Rico Resort and moved for several years to Pinetop, AZ.

Joe didn’t really understand the concept of no. He wanted to try it all; from rural Maine farming  raising cattle, pigs, and chickens, growing alfalfa, and tapping maple trees, to learning to fly his own plane and then living for a year on a boat in Miami. All the while his wife Betty eagerly followed, packing boxes and going wherever the next adventure took them.

He had a never-ending positive outlook, and the glass was always half full, and because of this struggled with how to manage painful life events. He tragically lost his wife Betty, and later his sons, George and Timothy. He went on to re-marry twice. He has been married to Micki (White) Darling for the last 16 years. Together they traveled in their RV, while living in Southern AZ.

Joe was diagnosed with primary progressive MS at the age of 67 and his body gradually failed him. Until the end, he dreamed of all the things he still wanted to do and struggled with the reality of his physical limitations and believed if he wanted something bad enough he could still achieve it.

He loved his family, golfing, the history channel, pistachio ice cream, and believed that aliens existed. He had the gift of gab, and always wanted to know your story and he didn’t forget it. He rarely missed a Morse High School reunion and loved being part of the Maine Maritime alumni.

He is survived by his wife Micki Darling, daughter Jenny (Jim Haworth), son Chris (Kate Jeremiah), daughter in law Dawn Darling and his 6 grandchildren, Jessica, Emily, Kate, Jack, Nick and Elizabeth. He is preceded in death by his wife Betty, and sons George and Tim, and brother Richard Darling.

Private services will be held in both Tucson and Maine.