Obituaries

Darren Hampton

Photo of Darren Hampton
Darren Hampton, age 52, a devoted follower of Christ went to be with the Lord on April 20, 2021, after a courageous battle against cancer. Darren was born in Fulton, Missouri on December 20, 1968, to Delbert (Buster) and Sylvia Hampton. Darren took great pride being born in the Kingdom of Callaway and enjoyed working hard and serving his community. Never shying away from hard work, Darren was one of Fulton's youngest paperboys. While attending Fulton High he worked at the Fulton Theater and was a proud Hornet letterman in football and wrestling; with wrestling being his greatest passion having qualified for state competition and medaling in 1986 and 1987. Darren also excelled in scholarship and was inducted into the National Honor Society his Junior Year. As if he wasn't busy enough he joined the Army National Guard at the age of 17 and completed boot camp between his junior and senior year. Upon graduating High School Darren took a fulltime position as a dorm parent at the Missouri School for the Deaf while attending Westminster College and graduated in 1992, with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology. After college Darren went to work for the St. Louis Police Department where over the next five years he earned many awards including officer of the Year. It was during this time that he met his future wife, Lynn Goerl. In 1999 Darren accepted a position with the Treasury Department where he served as a Special Agent with Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms for the next twenty-one years advancing to a supervisory position as a Division Operations Officer; until the time of his passing. In addition to serving his nation as a Special Agent Darren continued his military service for the next 21 years in the National Guard and Reserve. Having advanced to the enlisted rank of Staff Sergeant he was later commissioned as a Second Lieutenant and retired as a Captain in 2007. Darren also served in Operation Iraqi Freedom for 15 months during the years of 2003 and 2004, where he served with distinction as commander of his company and received the Army Commendation Medal as well as being recommended for a Bronze Star. On September 2, 2000, Darren married the love of his life Lynn. After which they were blessed with four children; Elliot, James, Andrew and Melinda. Darren was very proud of his children and found great joy interacting with them. Whether he was watching Melinda doing gymnastics or listening to her sing she was no doubt daddy's little girl. Likewise, his passions for wrestling was passed on to his boys whom he was so very proud (win or lose) and he could always be found in the stands cheering them on. But it didn't end there as their adventures included the beach, canoeing down the Current River, hunting white tail deer, deep sea fishing or ice fishing. Yet the greatest adventure he shared with his children is his love for Jesus Christ and the promise of salvation and that eternal home that is waiting for those who believe. Darren was preceded in death by his father Delbert (Buster). He is survived by his wife Lynn; children, Elliot, James, Andrew and Melinda; mother, Sylvia; brothers, Delbert Jr. (Megan) and Dennis (Carol); a niece, Mattie and nephews, Jacob, Caleb, Zachary and Hunter. A celebration of life will be on May 15, 2021, at Maupin Funeral Home located at 301 Douglas Blvd. in Fulton Missouri. Visitation will be from 1-4 followed by a celebration of Life at 4. Interment will be at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri on Monday, May 17, 2021, at 10 a.m.

Published May 15, 2021