Jacob Walker Darling

Jacob Walker Darling

Jacob was born on February 15th, 2006, in Dallas, Texas, and went home to be with the Lord on November 23rd, 2025. He is the son of John and Jennifer Darling and brother to Jessica Darling.  

Early in his life, Jacob attended Martha Hunt Elementary in Plano, Texas; Lorene Rodgers Middle School in Prosper, Texas; Faith Christian Academy in Arvada, Colorado; Oberon Middle School in Arvada, Colorado; graduated from Arvada West Senior High School in Arvada, Colorado; and was a sophomore at the University of Colorado Denver in Denver, Colorado, where he had planned to receive his undergraduate degree in Business and then continue on to law school to become a criminal defense attorney. 

He worked as a Team Member at West Woods Golf Club in Arvada, Colorado, and then joined the sales team at Best Buy in Golden and Westminster, Colorado, where he worked the last 3 years of his life. Jacob was always known for showing up to his school and workplace with a smile on his face and an eagerness to help. His interactions with classmates and customers were always filled with the utmost kindness and servitude. 

On December 7th, 2023, Jacob met the love of his life, Shaniah Romero, in the hallways of Arvada West Senior High School. Jacob never wasted a moment when talking about Shay. His eyes lit up, and his goofy smile could not be wiped away at the mere mention of her name. His phone is filled with pictures and videos of her and them together. Although Shay attended college in Santa Barbara, California, she was always on his mind, and he was always concerned for her safety. He firmly believed that God had placed her in his life to be his life-partner, and if he were given a chance, he would, with 100% confidence, ask her father, Art, for her hand. 

Jacob was passionate about art, music, superheroes, and the people around him. His drawings of superheroes, literary fiction, and even characters of his own amazed everyone, and we were always anxious to see what he would draw next. He loved learning how to draw with his Granddaddy, Merlin, and started drawing for others after he passed. Like his grandfather, Jacob was born with protanopia, which is a certain colorblindness that makes it difficult to see red colors, but he never let that stop his passion for art. Jacob was extremely skilled in piano, though he never learned how to read sheet music. He picked up songs and movie soundtracks by ear and was able to replicate it on the piano within minutes, just like his grandma, Joan. He loved watching Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, and the Flash, to name a few, reading all their comics, collecting all their action figures, and hoping to be just like them one day. Jacob absolutely loved his two best friends, Tyler Jackson and Dawson Sherman. Jacob quickly befriended Tyler when he moved to Colorado and Dawson when he started high school. The three were inseparable and had many adventures together, including creating their own characters for their own line of comics, Eclipse Comics. One of the last things Jacob did was investing his art, time, and money into creating his own clothing brand called Journey’s End. On his website, he wrote about the brand, stating, “The name Journey’s End is to show how each piece of art, each character, is a story, a journey, that ultimately reaches an end. However, it’s within the stories, despite their ultimate endings, that adventure, prosperity, peace, and so many other virtues are also to be found. Such are represented by the olive branch weaving through the skull.” 

The world might be a sadder place without Jacob and his light in our lives, but we can rejoice in the fact that he has been reunited with his Savior, Jesus Christ. Jacob liked to call himself a Christ-follower instead of a Christian because he only wanted the label of the beliefs and teachings of Jesus Christ. Not only has Jacob now seen the face of God, but he also joins his heavenly family, including his grandfather, Merlin Garrett; grandmother, Joan Darling Laughland; and many others. He is survived by his father, John Wesley Darling; mother, Jennifer Garrett Darling; sister, Jessica Nicole Darling; and his Gigi, Rebecca Peacock Garrett. Every single one of us in this room is here today because Jacob Walker Darling has touched our lives, and we will forever cherish the memories of him until we are reunited one day with him and our Heavenly Father. As Iron Man said, “Part of the journey is the end.” Jacob always wanted a superhero ending, and it was only fitting that he got just that. He was always looking out for his friends, family, and loved ones, even until his last breath.

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