Darrell Bafus

Darrell was born April 4, 1950, in Spokane, Wash., to Evelyn (Plaster) and Adrian Bafus. The family moved to the farm in Endicott when he was two. There he attended 12 years of school, graduating from Endicott High School in 1968. He continued his education at Washington State University and became a hard core Cougar fan for life, graduating with a bachelor of science in microbiology. While at WSU, Darrell was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, where he developed many lifelong friendships.

His farming career began in 1973, but he quickly realized he needed a partner. He returned to WSU under the guise of pursuing an education degree, casting that aside and returning to farming once he met and married Marilyn Neill of Pullman. Eldest son Aaron was born in 1976, with siblings Brooke, Grant and Neill arriving in a two-year cadence.

Darrell's life was filled with basketball (playing, coaching and watching his kids), running the farm and dedicating time to the Endicott school board. He also developed a love for the game of golf. Even a bad round ended in a good day when played with friends. He played courses all over the area and once pulled together the round of his life to become the St. John Golf Course club champion.

Toward the end of his farming career, Darrell and Marilyn enjoyed traveling around the globe, eventually settling in Liberty Lake in 2014 after Darrell broke his neck in a bicycle accident that left him quadriplegic. The accident didn't stop Darrell from living life, watching more basketball and golf, enjoying the company of his eight grandchildren and consistently making you laugh with his unique sense of humor. Darrell and Marilyn instilled a strong work ethic in their family. He expanded the family farm and always encouraged his kids to drive toward something big and bet on yourself, because that's the path that gets you out of bed at 4 am.

Darrell was an extremely tough individual in every sense of the word. From grinding away on the gridiron and the basketball court as a young man, to expanding the farm in adulthood, overcoming the first of two broken necks and a heart attack. Yet eventually, living his best life after suffering the second neck injury that confined him to a wheelchair. That only slowed him down a little and he didn't hesitate to take off across town to see what was new or disappear off-roading on the farm.

He was blessed with family that loved him dearly. He is survived by his wife of 43 years, Marilyn; siblings, Ron (Candace), Marlene (John Rorke), and Allan (Christy); children, Aaron (Claire), Brooke (Shahin Chandrasoma), Grant (Emily) and Neill (Nora); numerous nieces and nephews; and eight beloved grandchildren.