Jean R. (Wakefield) Darling, 60, of London Towers, Ilion, formerly of 27 E. Clark St., Ilion, died on Tuesday, April 18, 2006, at Bassett Healthcare, Cooperstown. She was born March 18, 1946 , in Utica, the daughter of Frank and Nellie (Ward) Kasprzyk. She attended Holy Trinity School, Utica, until 1954. Jean then attended Ilion schools and graduated from Ilion Central High School in 1966. She also attended Herkimer County Community College and Herkimer County BOCES for nursing. At one time she was married to Henry B. Wakefield. In her early years, Jean worked at the Masonic Home and also at Mac's Taxi as a dispatcher. For several years, she was an assembler and clerk at Snyder's Bicycle Shop and also worked as an assistant teacher at Oneida County Head Start Program. Jean also worked as a residential counselor for five years at Herkimer County ARC. For many years she was a school bus driver and later office manager at Cook's Taxi. To further show her love for people, Jean put a lot of her time into volunteering for the Herkimer County Helpline and the Mohawk Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross, helping people who had disasters in their life. She also worked in the military division of the Red Cross. She was of the Catholic faith and a former member of the Ilion Chapter 31 Women of the Moose. Survivors include her six children, Henry Wakefield and his wife Wendy of Greenville, Tenn., Robert Wakefield of the town of Ohio, John Wakefield and his wife Cathy of Ilion, Tammy VanHorne and her husband Robert of the town of Ohio, Hope Darling of Florida and Kenneth Darling Jr. of Tennessee; five grandchildren, Stephanie, Kendra, Samantha, Jennifer and John (Jr.) Wakefield; her sister, Terry Simpson of Syracuse; two nieces, several cousins and her special companion, Donald Trask. She was predeceased by her grandson, Anthony Darling and her nephew, Warren Simpson. Funeral services will be held at 8:45 p.m. Friday evening, April 21, at the Applegate and Day Funeral Home, 102 West St., Ilion, with Father Alfred A. Lamanna officiating. Interment will be in Holy Trinity Cemetery, Utica. Calling hours are Friday from 5:45-8:45 p.m. prior to the service at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to American Diabetes Association or the American Heart Association. Donation envelopes are available at the Applegate & Day Funeral Home. For directions to the funeral home, click the facilities link above.