Darin D. Kerr

Darin's memorial service will be livestreamed from the First Presbyterian Church website.

I know so many of you have watched our beloved Darin Kerr as he shared so openly and lovingly his journey with cancer over the last 6 months. This morning, (Thursday, September 28, 2023), Darin passed away in his childhood home with his wonderful mother by his side, knowing how deeply loved he has been from the moment he came into this world until the moment he left it. And for so many of us, until the moment we do.

From a distance, Darin was probably the most talented person many of us had ever met. On stage he could move you to feel damn near anything, while he uplifted the people around him and made their performances all the better. In a room, he was the funniest person there, ready to make the clever joke you literally wouldn’t forget for years. In a conversation, he was utterly brilliant. His education was obviously impressive, but just his depth of knowledge and insight alone could blow you out of the water every time and leave you feeling a part of something really special.

He was admirable in every sense of the word.

Up close, Darin was the most thoughtful friend who showed up right when you needed him, and gave you just the right amount of side eye when the choices you were making weren’t in your best interest. He was the friend who loved to do something fun or weird, even with almost no notice. He was the friend who drove hours to see your concert or your show, watched or read you work, all in the name of cheering you on. He was the friend without whom any event felt incomplete, even if it was just a late night at Perkins. Especially if it was a late night at Perkins.

Darin was so easy to love. From afar, and up close, he was someone who made every part of life he touched so much better.

It’s so unfair that he’s gone. But from the moment I sat with him in the oncologist’s office while he received the news, Darin handled this better than seemed humanly possible. He had lived a lot of life (not enough, in my opinion), loved a lot of people, and made a huge impact, and for him, that seemed to be enough. While these six months were hard, he was so consistently at peace. I hope, while we all grieve this incredible person together, that we can take a great deal of comfort in knowing the peace he felt, even when the chemo made him feel crummy or every piece of news was worse than the last.

Darin will always be one of my very best friends. He will always be a son, brother, and uncle who loved his family so dearly and they him. He will always be the friend who meant the world to you, the teacher who impacted you in ways no other teacher could, the scene partner who challenged and supported you, the performer who made you feel so deeply, the coworker whose name on the schedule meant your day would be so much better, the cool guy at budget music whose recommendations you always took, and the 1,000’s of other, amazing things he was and is to the people whose lives he touched.

We love you Darin. Now and forever.