Darcy Ann Seals

Darcy Ann Stevens Seals, 65 Darcy Ann (Stevens) Seals, 65, of Tahoe City, California, and formerly of Petoskey and Harbor Springs, Michigan, escaped this physical world on Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024, from heart failure. Darcy left us peacefully in her sleep at her home, in her bed (as was her wish rather than in a hospital), under cozy quilts she sewed, a skill she learned early in life from her mother and grandmother. Darcy was born in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Sept. 12, 1958, to Annarita (Smith) and Harris Stevens. Her parents moved to Big Rapids, Mich.; then Green Bay, Wisc.; before returning to northwest lower Michigan where they raised Darcy and her younger, sister, Tamara, in the Boyne Falls, Mich., area before settling permanently in Petoskey, Mich., in 1970. Darcy’s parents taught her to downhill ski when she was a toddler, a sport that would play a prominent role throughout her life. Not only did she love to ski more than anything else, she became a certified PSIA Ski Instructor like her father. Darcy joined the ski team at Petoskey High School (PHS) and assisted the team in achieving state championships three years running. In art classes Darcy excelled, and she loved all forms of creative expression. Darcy graduated from PHS in June 1976. After high school, Darcy attended college at North Central Michigan College in Petoskey, while working as a ski instructor at Hidden Valley ski resort in Gaylord (now the Otsego Ski Club), and Nub’s Nob in Harbor Springs. When there wasn’t snow on the ground, she earned a living as a server, bartender and bar manager in the restaurant industry. In the early 1980s, Darcy moved “out west” to pursue her passion of being a ski instructor in “the mountains.” Her adventures first took her to Mt. Hood, Oregon, then to the Lake Tahoe area. Her vivacious personality and curiosity of all things made it easy for Darcy to meet new friends on the slopes and in restaurants where she worked. Over the years she was a ski instructor at Diamond Peak located at Incline Village on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe; and at Alpine Meadows, Homewood, and Boreal at Donner Summit on the California side. In 2014, Darcy received her 40 year pin from PSIA, a distinguished honor in recognition for teaching skiing for 40 consecutive years. While living and working in the Tahoe region, Darcy met the love of her life, Charles Arthur Seals. The two were married Sept. 17, 1994, overlooking the beautiful Truckee River. They celebrated 29 years of marriage this past fall. Darcy did not live an average life. She worked hard and played hard. She learned from her mother how to be a welcoming hostess and an accomplished cook. Darcy learned from her father how to fix what needed fixing; and she found humor and something to be happy about every day. Caring toward family, friends and pets, Darcy was a protective and loyal big sister to Tamara; always keeping an eye on her during childhood, and the first to defend and support her in adulthood. Darcy was a voracious reader and loved films, especially Disney movies. She was young at heart (even though her heart wore out too soon). She loved camping, hiking in the mountain, soaking in natural hot springs, whitewater rafting and skiing, all with “her Charlie” by her side and their dog, Luna, leading the way. Due to being a heavy smoker the majority of her life, Darcy received a double lung transplant in February 2022. She and her family are grateful for the quality care she received over the years at the University of California San Francisco and Tahoe Forest Hospital in Truckee, Calif. Her lungs were functioning well prior to her death, but her heart simply wore out. Surviving to cherish her memory are her loving husband, Charlie Seals of Tahoe City; her sister, Tamara Stevens and her partner, Rob Tweedie, of Harbor Springs, Mich.; five cousins, and countless friends in Michigan and the Tahoe region. Darcy will be welcomed into Heaven by her parents, Annarita (Smith) and Harris Stevens; grandparents Carrie and Harry Smith of Atlanta, Mich., and Eva (Cadieux) and Harry Stevens of Hillman, Mich., great aunt Mary Skinner of Atlanta, Mich.; an infant younger sister; her mother-in-law, Charlotte Wagner of Yuma, AZ, brother-in-law, Donald Seals of Salt Lake City, UT; many family pet cats and dogs; and numerous friends and cohorts in her many adventures. Darcy will be cremated, as was her wish, and her ashes will be scattered where she loved life in the Tahoe area and northern lower Michigan. A celebration of her joy-filled life will be arranged in Tahoe City, Calif., at a later date. Details will be shared in the coming months. Arrangements are being handled by Truckee –Tahoe Mortuary and Crematory in Truckee, Calif.

Tributes

Darcy Ann Seals

September 12, 1958 - January 24, 2024