Darrell Wayne Tilford, passed away on October 28, 2024. He was born in Bloomfield, IN on November 23rd,1935 to Charles F. and Anya N. Tilford. His family were members of the First Baptist Church in Bloomfield.

Darrell graduated from Bloomfield High School in 1953. After graduation, he moved to Indianapolis and worked at LS Ayres downtown in the Home Furnishing Department. From an early age, Darrell was interested in the arts and at Ayres, he was able to learn many different aspects of interior design. Darrell attended the New York School of Interior Design, founded by architect Sherrill Whiton. (Whiton wrote Elements of Interior Decoration, and his subsequent editions are still a design school standard today.)

Darrell transferred to Chicago and graduated from the Vogue School of Interior Design. While in Chicago, he had the opportunity to work at Marshall Field's Interior Design Studio. It was here that he was introduced to European antiquities and all fine lines of furniture. During this period, Darrell was invited to join American Institute of Interior Designers. This organization helped place Darrell in Fort Wayne, IN in 1959. He worked for Wolf and Dessauer in their Interior Design Studio. Later, Darrell qualified for the full membership in the American Society of Interior Designers.

In the mid-sixties, he created a two-year, accredited interior design program with Indiana University for which he was program director and taught for seven years.

During his career, Darrel's creativity with clients took him on projects from Michigan to Mexico and Washington, D.C. to Palm Springs, CA. He had a special interest in log cabins, renovating his own vacation retreat cabin on Lake Michigan beach. He also designed his winter home in Mexico. His hobbies included: historic architecture, traveling, antiques, watercolor painting, gardening, and cooking. Darrell traveled around Europe and the United States. During his travels, he would visit every historic building that was accessible. As his traveling days declined, his love of cooking increased. Darrell loved watching cooking shows, getting new recipes, and adapting the recipes to suit his taste. Darrell was preceded in death by his parents, and his close friend and business partner-David "Elliott" Fairweather. He is survived by several dearly loved cousins.

A Celebration of Life is 11:30 am, Tuesday, November 12, 2024 at Fairhaven Funeral Home, 6557 N. Clinton St., with calling beginning at 10:00 am until time of service. Interment will be at Greenlawn Memorial Park. Memorials to Indiana Landmarks Foundation, 1201 Central Ave., Indianapolis, IN 46202
(indianalandmarks.org) or ARCH, Inc. (archfw.org)