Kenny Darlington was born on February 10, 1931, at home in a sod house on the Midway Ranch, He was the second oldest of six children born to Harley and Alma Darlington, and the only one not delivered in a hospital. As Kenny likes to tell it, when his dad came home from the mountains that night, “he had two sons instead of one.”
Midway Ranch earned its name as a resting point for travelers who couldn’t make it to town in a day. Over the years, it welcomed many characters, including a young man who would later become one of the best swimmers in the nation, Ted Erikson.
One of his earliest memories is also one of the hardest. At just two years old, Kenny was sent to live with his Aunt Aggie in Great Falls for over a year because his parents had three boys under the age of three at home. “It was traumatic when I came back,” he says. “I didn’t know anyone at home.”
Kenny started school at the age of five, not because he was ready, but because the country school needed another student to remain open. That decision meant Kenny and his older brother Bill were in the same class all the way through school. His parents and teachers were the most influential people in his early life, and the family attended a country church in Eagleton. Today, Kenny owns the land where that church once stood.
Growing up near Big Sandy meant chores were a way of life. The family had cows, chickens, and pigs, all of which had to be fed every day. When Kenny and his brothers were old enough, they slept in the bunkhouse until winter temperatures forced them back into the sod house with the rest of the family. In 1943, Harley and Alma purchased a house from the Carpenter place near Quinns and moved it to Midway Ranch. The sod house was moved back, and the new house was placed where the sod house had been.
Kenny grew up with three brothers and two sisters—Bill, Bob, Mary, Nora, and later Gary. One of Kenny’s favorite family traditions was celebrating the Fourth of July at Osterman’s Grove. When the children were younger, they went home with Granny Darlington afterward. As they got older, they stayed to dance while their dad called square dances.
After graduating, Kenny worked for Henry Bitz before enlisting in the U.S. Army in 1951 alongside Fred Bitz. Though they hoped to serve together, their paths diverged. Kenny spent 18 months overseas during the Korean War in the Signal Corps, working in communications. He often jokes about how times have changed—while he walked up mountains carrying telephone wire on his back, his youngest grandson Dylan later served in the Army in Korea as well, also in communications, but using a computer.
Over the years, Kenny has seen major changes in the community. It didn’t take as much land to raise a family when he was young, and farms and ranches are much larger today. With that change came fewer people. He especially misses the many businesses that once existed in Big Sandy—multiple
machinery dealers, gasoline stations, grocery stores, restaurants, along with hardware, clothing, and jewelry stores. Still, what he values most remains unchanged: “The people. They look out for each other.”
His memory is rich with local history—seeing President Truman pass through on the train in 1950, traveling to Great Falls when President Kennedy visited Montana, and riding in the Montana Centennial Cattle Drive in 1989 from Roundup to Billings with family and friends.
Kenny met Darleen Schlack while attending Big Sandy High School. They planned to marry after her graduation in 1951, but her father insisted they wait until Kenny returned from the Army. They were married in February 1953 and shared 67 years together before Darleen’s passing in 2020. Together, they raised three children—Donita, Joleen, and Dana—all graduates of Big Sandy High School. Kenny is the proud grandfather of eight grandchildren, along with seven “bonus” grandchildren, twelve great-grandchildren with one more on the way, and twelve “bonus” great-grandchildren. Family, Kenny says, has always been supportive and central to his life.
The lessons Kenny has learned over 95 years are simple and steady: be good to your family and friends, and treat everyone the way you want to be treated. He believes there is no single secret to a long and meaningful life—“that’s all up to the man upstairs.” His advice to younger generations is practical and straightforward: work hard and save your money for retirement.
Looking back, Kenny says there is very little he would change. He has tried to live within his means and be fair to everyone. As a young man, he loved baseball, playing under the management of his future father-in-law, George Schlack. Later in life, bowling became his passion. Kenny bowled for years in the Monday night men’s league at Pep’s—well into his 80s—and also bowled mixed league with Darleen. He bowled alongside multiple generations of the same families and competed in state and national tournaments, traveling to many different states and returning home with plenty of stories.
Today, Kenny enjoys playing pinochle at The Mint on Sunday afternoons and at the Senior Center on Thursdays. His favorite meal is still beef steak—“if I can chew it.” What brings him the most joy now is seeing his grandchildren and great-grandchildren walk into the room. “It always makes me smile.”
His message to the community is one he has lived by his entire life: “Stick together, support each other, and get things done—just like you always have.”
Cupcakes & Dancing at The Mint at 7PM on Saturday February 7
