Darren Zane English

Darren passed January 8, 2021. He was born in Ohio, September 29, 1966, the state from which his Wyandot family was moved to Kansas in 1843. He is a sixth-generation great-grandson of Chief Tarhe, “the Crane,” signatory of the Treaty of Greenville. Darren grew up in Prairie Village, KS where he attended Porter Elementary School, Indian Hills Middle School, and graduated from Shawnee Mission East High School. He attended Johnson County Community College, where he was recruited into the Disney College Intern Program. Darren was subsequently hired as a Tour Guide at Walt Disney World where he expanded his love and knowledge of all things Disney.

He met Eric Marason, his life partner of 28 years in 1992 and settled in San Francisco, CA. Darren’s passionate nature and curiosity extended to diverse areas such as hypnotism for spiritual healing, theme park ride design, animal training and rescue, nature photography, graphic design, indigenous crafts, and sacred site architecture. Darren excelled in bringing his artistic interpretations to many of these interests, resulting in an eclectic body of work. Darren and Eric enjoyed a life of US and world exploration and adventure together, despite Darren’s ongoing health challenges. True to his indigenous roots, Darren enjoyed being in the great outdoors of the US Southwest.

He served for 25 years as Cultural Committee Chairman of the Wyandot Nation of Kansas (WNOK). He received many accolades, both nationally and internationally, for his development and work on the WNOK website (www.wyandot.org). He was a gifted artist, known for the beauty and elegant execution of his woven pine needle baskets. He was a beloved Zane family member who will be missed greatly by his parents, Janith English (Chief Emeritus of the WNOK) and Reverend Edward English; his partner Eric Marason; aunt and uncle Carolyn and Ron Stapp; his brother and sister-in-law Martin and Cynthia English; sister and brother-in-law Tanya and Jeremy Catlett; his niece Taylor Catlett; and his many cousins. He will always be remembered for his pride in his Wyandot heritage.

Darren had the heart of a servant, a compassionate man who lived his life with integrity, humility, and positivity. A peacemaker like his Wyandot great++ grandfather, fair, a unifier, holding others’ feet to the fire of Truth, one whose strength lies in treating all with respect and dignity-all the qualities of a Wyandot warrior. Darren immersed himself in his Wyandot heritage and history. Knowing his history gave him the foundation for his gift to his people, the tribal website and newsletter, the Council Fire. Both are important communication tools among the four nations comprising the Wendat-Wyandot Confederacy, which include: the Huron-Wendat of Lorette, Quebec, Canada; the Great Lakes Wyandot of Michigan; the Wyandot Nation of Kansas; and the Wyandot Nation (of Oklahoma); as well as scholars of all educational levels. Born out of his love for the WNOK, he labored for years teaching himself the webmaster craft and creating all its documents by hand. Through his talent and hard work, the website gives voice to our Nation. People nationally and internationally now understand that we were dispersed and not destroyed.

An online Celebration of Life will be announced at a later date.

Memorial contributions in Darren’s honor may be made to, St. Judes- www.stjude.org/donatetoday , the charity for children’s cancer;  UMCOR-United Methodist Committee on Relief  www.umcmission.org, the global humanitarian and development organization of the United Methodist Church; Heifer International- www.heifer.org, ending hunger and poverty; and/or Local charities of choice.