Darlene Houlihan Obituary

Darlene Yeakel Houlihan, peacefully passed away with her devoted husband, Tom, by her side on March 22, 2026. She was born in North Hollywood, California, on August 18, 1953, to William Francis and Elizabeth Anne Callahan Yeakel.

An ardent lover of animals from early childhood, Darlene graduated with a degree in biology from the University of California - Santa Cruz. During her college years, she enjoyed playing Frisbee on the beach and later, working as a veterinary technician.

She and Tom married in 1980, and bought their first house in Boulder Creek, California, among the Redwood Forest. Due to Tom's profession as a 'tech' guy, they moved to many locations during their marriage - Dallas, Texas, Chicago, Illinois, Travelers Rest, South Carolina, Gallatin,Tennessee, Fountain Inn, South Carolina, Atlanta, Georgia, and finally, to their present home in Greer, South Carolina.

Acquiring her first horse, Zeus, while in Chicago, Darlene became serious about showing when they moved to Travelers Rest. During her 'horse show' years, she earned blue ribbon after blue ribbon and began successfully breeding, training, and showing both Quarter horses and her beloved Paint, Cupid. She and Cupid were invited to show at the Paint Horse Congress in Texas in 1996 - quite an achievement!

When they moved to Fountain Inn, Darlene met Connie Cleveland - dog trainer extraordinaire - and thus her Obedience Era began. As with everything that she found both interesting and challenging, Darlene committed her whole self to training her two Labs to the highest level of Obedience, which is an OTCh.

Her last major challenge - which takes years to successfully master - was providing and training dogs for field trials. During that time period, Darlene acquired a talented pup that she named Indigo. Over the years both Indie and Darlene have become famous in the Field Trial community, and Indie's pups or grand-pups are highly sought after by serious competitors.

When Darlene wasn't competing, she gave lessons to regular dog owners, so they could better communicate with their furry friends. She also trained many Service Dogs who give their handicapped owners vastly improved lives.

And, if all her dedication to working with animals was not enough, she created the most beautiful grounds around her house. Darlene was an immensely talented horticulturalist, and the beauty she selected, planted, and nurtured will live on for years and years, as will our fond memories of Darlene.

She is survived by her loving husband, Thomas Edward Houlihan; sisters, Marilynn, Deanie, and Cocoa of California and Marilynn of Costa Rica; brother, Beau of California; brother-in-law, James Arthur Houlihan of Piedmont, South Carolina; and sister-in-law, Colleen Houlihan Miller of Santa Barbara, California.

In addition to her parents, Darlene was preceded in death by her brother, Billy of California.

A Rosary ceremony will begin at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, April 17, 2026, with a visitation immediately following until 8:00 p.m., located at Thomas McAfee Funeral Home, Downtown, located at 639 N. Main Street, Greenville, SC 29601.

To honor Darlene, the family has requested that guests wear casual attire.

In lieu of flowers, please make contributions in Darlene's name to: The Service Dog Institute, 655 H Fairview Road #173, Simpsonville, SC, 29680 or by visiting https://theservicedoginstitute.org

Family and friends who are unable to attend the service can view the Live Stream by clicking on the "Watch Livestream" button located on the main obituary page.