On Saturday, January 8, 2022, Darryl Edmund Aspelin (Butler, PA), husband of David Yaron (Peckville, PA), died at age 59 as a result of his hard-fought battle with cancer. His passion for life brought joy to those around him and his passing leaves a void that can never be filled. He will be fondly remembered and sorely missed.
Darryl was born on April 5, 1962 in Butler, PA to Betty Hendershot and Donald Aspelin. He received his bachelor’s degree in computing from Clarion University and was self-employed through his cleaning business and rental units.
His relationship with husband David was a two-hearts-beat-as-one romantic comedy set mostly in Pittsburgh, with the holidays in David’s hometown of Scranton, fall hiking and biking in Bar Harbor with friends John Killiany and Deborah Chilletti, and swimming and kayaking in Key West whenever possible. Darryl especially enjoyed rides with David on a tandem bike nicknamed Poison Ivy, after its green color and an unfortunate encounter with vines on one of their maiden rides on the GAP trail.
Darryl was a fantastic and inventive chef, who could turn whatever was in the refrigerator into a gourmet meal. He also enjoyed tackling ridiculously hard jigsaw puzzles with unrelated family member Michelle Broido, remodeling apartments with his brother Alex, picking berries with his sister Darline, taking many cruises with family and friends, traveling to exotic locations such as the Patagonian mountains, taking in the Pittsburgh Symphony from their first-row subscription seats, mastering pottery through over a decade of classes at CCAC North, and bowling in the Pittsburgh Pride League.
In memorializing Darryl, it is perhaps most important to reflect on his empathetic connection with the world around him. As a gardener, he, like his mother, could look at a plant and immediately know what it needed to thrive. As a pet lover, he connected with his cats and his friends’ dogs in ways that made him their favorite human. And as a soul who was always tuned into the emotions and needs of those around him, he could convert casual encounters into lasting and supportive friendships. He lives on through the warmth and strength he infused into those who were blessed with his presence.
Darryl was preceded in death by father Donald. He is survived by husband David Yaron; mother Betty Aspelin; brother Alex, his wife Tina, niece Taylor and nephew Joshua; sister Darline, her husband Vaughn Gallagher and nieces Abby and Erica; sister Diana, her husband Michael Stetzer, nephew Mathew and niece Shelby.
Through his family by marriage, he is preceded in death by sister Linda Yaron Emondi, and survived by sister Ruth Yaron and her husband Robert McCloskey, brother John Yaron and his dear friend Millie Clark, nephew Fred Cicilioni and his wife Katie, nephew John Cicilioni and his wife Heather, nephew Robert McCloskey, great nephew Jackson Cicilioni, and great niece Charlotte Cicilioni.
The family will hold two memorial services. The first at Thompson-Miller Funeral Home in Butler, PA on Saturday, January 15, with visitation from 2 pm to 4 pm and a brief service at 4 pm. The second at Six East Restaurant in Scranton, PA on Saturday, January 22, with an open reception with appetizers from 2 pm to 4 pm.
In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to UPMC Hillman Cancer Center (https://hillmanresearch.upmc.
Online condolences may be made at www.thompson-miller.com.