Darby Naranjo

Darby Nicole Naranjo passed away at the age of 21 on June 17, 2021, at Las Palmas Medical Center in El Paso, TX after a brief illness.

A memorial service will be held at Grace Community Church, 935 W. Mescalero Road, Roswell, NM 88201, on Wednesday, June 30th at 11:00AM. Services will be officiated by Sean Lee.

Darby was born in Roswell, NM on May 25, 2000, to Shawn and Angela Naranjo. She was a lifelong resident of Roswell, NM graduating from Goddard High School (Roswell, NM) in 2018 and attended college at ENMU (Portales, NM).

Even though Darby was not here on this earth for long, she was able to live a very eventful life. She was able to visit both coasts and swim in the oceans, dance with friends in front of large audiences, see wild animals at Yellowstone, walk the rim of a volcano, touch a dolphin in the ocean (more than once), feed giraffes, attend many concert with friends/family (Marina, 1975, Kelly Clarkson, Cuco, Arianna Grande, Demi Lovato, etc.), roast marshmallows on the beach, walk in dinosaur tracks, see and chase fireflies, go parasailing, visit several national parks and monuments, ride a horse, get several tattoos (and wanted more), went to many amusements parks and rode the big scary rides, rode in a hot air balloon (more than once), meet Cuco (the artist), ride in a helicopter, have adventures that will only be whispered among friends, plus she met Joe Exotic and his crew and posed/played with baby tigers and lions, even had image featured on their merchandise as "Angel of the Tigers"!

If you saw Darby you remembered her from her bright cheeky smile, her boisterous laugh, gorgeous lips and those beautiful blue eyes. Her hair might be blue one day and pink the next but she always stayed true to herself and loved with all her heart. Her sense of humor was wicked and sarcastic. Music, singing and art was the way she loved to express herself. She was a light that brightened every room. Her smile and personality was contagious. She loved her family and friends fiercely. Darby had the biggest heart and would give you anything she had, if you needed it. She would spend her downtime with her animals, sometimes preferring their company to people. Nevertheless, Darby was a shooting star that graced this world for a short time because her soul could not be contained or restrained. We will miss her greatly.

Some of the adventures we were planning as a family after she recovered were traveling to Ireland, Scotland, Australia and New Orleans. She also had concert dates set to attend for this Fall. Somehow, she will find a way to accomplish those things from the other side or be with us when we travel to those places in the future.

She is preceded in death by her grandfather, Olen (Joe) Featherstone II (Roswell, NM), grandparents Raymond & Nancy Naranjo (Roswell, NM); great grandparents Martha & Olen Featherstone (Roswell, NM), Charles & Velma Stone (Roswell, NM), Manuel "Rosebud" & Lucy Naranjo (Clayton, NM) & Floyd & Maxine Moiser (Clayton, NM).

She is survived by her parents, Shawn & Angela Naranjo of Roswell, NM, her grandmother Charla Featherstone, Tres Featherstone and wife Mary, Chris Naranjo and wife Jodi, Mark Naranjo and wife Laci all of Roswell, NM; her cousins Nicholas Featherstone of Lubbock, TX, Elissa Featherstone of Las Cruces, NM, Emrie, Kimber and Tatum Naranjo all of Roswell, NM; best friend Corey Hause of Portales, NM, her dogs Spunky, Loki and Lil Dude, her cats Rihanna, Harry and Percy plus numerous friends and family.

Charities close to Darby's heart would be Friends of Roswell Animals, P.O. Box 366, Roswell, NM 88202, Homeless Coalition, P.O. Box 4246, Roswell, NM 88202, Roswell Humane Society, 703 East McGaffey Street, Roswell, NM 88203, and DA Dogs Foundation, P.O. Box 8160, Roswell, NM 88202; if you would like to send a memorial donation in her name.

The family wishes to extend their gratitude to ENMMC of Roswell and the Heli flight crew & Dr. Sabrina Frierson and the ICU nurses and staff at Las Palmas in El Paso, TX.

Pallbearers are Tres Featherstone, Chris Naranjo, Mark Naranjo, Jon Shumard, Charlie Henderson and Corey Hause.

Honorary Pallbearers are Nicholas Featherstone, Elissa Featherstone, Samanda Griffin-Rodgers, Quinn Fleming & Ashley Meredith.

Flowers by Encore Flowers & Gifts, 3107 N. Main Street, Suite C, Roswell, NM 88201 (575)627-6300.

The family would like to thank everyone who prayed for Darby and all of us. It is/was greatly appreciated and felt.