Darrell Eugene Murchison

Darrell Eugene "Murch" Murchison, 92, died November 22, 2024, at the assisted living facility where he and his wife Arlene have lived for the last year.

Darrell was born in Lincoln, Maine on June 29, 1932, the son of Daniel Duncan Murchison and Lillian Amber (Peters) Murchison.

Darrell enrolled in the U.S. Army then graduated from Aroostook State Teachers College in 1958 and became a teacher, which lasted nine years. He held a series of jobs including selling paint at Sherwin Williams, cooking at Marshview Restaurant in Scarborough and serving customers at Smith's General Store near where he and Arlene lived in Saco, until his macular degeneration became so bad he couldn't see well enough to work.

He was an avid consumer of newspapers, especially the sports section. High school basketball was his passion. He could recite team stats and knew players' names for years at a time. He especially followed Mattanawcook Academy in Lincoln, where he grew up, trailing the team wherever they played, and making sure he was available for the annual tournaments held in Bangor. He loved people and animals. He once owned a Cairn terrier he named Mr. Burns as a nod to his Scottish heritage, and he and Arlene owned Dachshunds and Maine Coon Cats. Darrell and Arlene traveled a lot, including a special trip to Scotland, where he saw the family records. Darrell was known for his teasing sense of humor, his corny jokes, his gardening skills, his devotion to Trinity Episcopal Church in Saco and to his family, and in the last couple of years, his painting. He married Arlene, the love of his life, in 1992 and the couple lived in Saco until they moved to assisted living in Gorham.

Darrell leaves his wife of 32 years, Arlene; two step-daughters, Kathie Kennie of Buxton and Robyn Cote of Old Orchard; two special nieces, Amber Murchison of Rochester, NH, and Julie (Murchison) Dowd and her husband Michael of Litchfield; grandchildren, cousins, nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents Daniel and Lillian Murchison and all of his siblings, Milton, Rhoda, Etta Mae, Edwin, Durwood, Charlene, Gerald, Daniel and Roger.

A funeral service will be held at 10AM Saturday, December 7, 2024, at Trinity Episcopal Church, 15 Cleveland St., Saco. A reception will be held at the church after the service. Burial will be at a later date in Laurel Hill Cemetery, Saco.

If family and friends desire, memorial donations may be made to Trinity Episcopal Church in Saco.

Arrangements by Cote Funeral Home, Saco.