Services for Eileen B. Darnell, 90, will be held at Wharton Funeral Chapel in Alva, Okla. at 10am on April 1, 2006. Burial will follow at Lookout Cemetery in Freedom, Oklahoma. Death came peacefully in El Paso, Texas, on March 24. Eileen, the daughter of Jim and Opal Bliss, was born May 5, 1916, in Woods County, Oklahoma, She lived throughout her childhood on the family ranch near Lookout. After completing three years of home-schooling, Eileen went on to attend school in a one-room school house in Lookout. She quickly advanced through the school system in Lookout and was always proud of the fact that she had ridden her horse to and from school. During the Depression, Eileen lived with a family friend in Alva, Oklahoma while she attended high school and college. She received her bachelor's degree from Northwestern State Teachers College at the age of 19. Eileen moved back to the ranch where she began teaching at Coy School, a one-room school, and also coached the wrestling team to the small school Oklahoma State Championship. Eileen was accepted to medical school in the late 30's, but passed up on that rare opportunity to marry Victor Lee Darnell and begin raising a family. Eileen's greatest loves were her children, her grandchildren and the ranch where she and her sister Lois were raised. After her father passed away, she made sure that she kept the brand alive and in the family by passing on its legacy to one of her grandchildren. The J - brand initially registered by her father, Jim Bliss, has been in use continuously since the opening of the Cherokee Strip in 1893. Eileen is survived by two sons and their wives, Jim and Sue Darnell, and Eric and Ann Darnell; a sister and her husband, Lois and Frank Layton; five grandchildren, Jeep, Ryan, Jake, Tiffy, and Eric Darnell. In her later years, these grandchildren were the apples of her eye and she followed their many accomplishments with great pride until the very end. Soloists for the funeral service are Tiffy Darnell and Jim Hendricks, accompanied by Alyson Yoder, pianist. Pallbearers are Jeep Darnell, Jake Darnell, Ryan Darnell, Eric Darnell, Ronny Bliss, Dale Bliss, Dan Patton and Frank Layton. Honorary pallbearers are Vernon Bliss, Roy Darnell, and Wesley Nixon. Published in The Oklahoman on 3/30/2006.