April 10, 1940 – October 1, 2025
Darrel was born in Eureka CA, on April 10, 1940 to Emil Charles Polasek and Lorna Flowers Polasek. He was raised in Eureka until his sophomore year in high school when he moved to Ferndale, CA to work on a dairy ranch and attend Ferndale Union High School. He graduated in June 1959.
He was active in FFA and played football. His senior year he was the running back for Ferndale’s Varsity football team and was a unanimous selection to the H-DN All County football team in 1958.
After high school Darrel married the love of his life, Carole Ann Hinch and they were married for 66 years. They welcomed their daughter, Barb, in February, 1960. In April 1965 they welcomed their son, Marty. They lived in town in Ferndale, CA for seven years and then in 1967 they bought their property on the Wildcat Road which became the Half Ass Flat Ranch.
Darrel worked on local dairy ranches and then for the County of Humboldt beginning in the spring of 1964. He started on the fence crew for the County and helped build the fence around the airport at Dinsmore, CA. After the flood of 1964 Darrel worked on the Ferndale Road Crew for 37 years, helping maintain the Ferndale, Mattole, Petrolia, and Honeydew roads.
He was a member of the Ferndale Volunteer Fire Department for 18 years and climbed the largest lighted living Christmas tree every year to help put up the lights and then take them down.
Darrel was a member of the Sonoma County Trail Blazers. He was a founding member of the Redwood Unit, Backcountry Horsemen of California. Darrel was responsible for starting the Annual Half Ass Flat catered ride as a fund raiser for the Redwood Unit. He was also a member of the Ferndale Jockey Club.
One of the projects on the Half Ass Flat Ranch was raising pigs. He raised the pigs for 4-H and FFA kids and also to sell to other customers. Another project was having peacocks! They multiplied quite well for a long time.
Darrel got his first horse, Penny, in the early 1970’s. Then he got his first mule, Dink, who was broke to ride, pack and drive. After that he never looked back and had many mules over his lifetime. He used them to hunt both in and out-of-state. He used them to pack down the beach on the Lost Coast and in the Marble Mountains. Every summer for many years he packed into Hancock Lake in the Marbles with Carole and friends.
He was an avid hunter and got his first buck when he was 15 and continued hunting most of his life. He and his buddies hunted locally and out of state for Mule deer and elk. Darrel was fortunate to have his Roosevelt elk and his Tule elk registered in the Boone and Crockett record book. He hunted caribou and white tail deer in Canada.
Darrel also was an abalone diver. He fished for salmon and steel head and went digging for razor back clams and went surf fishing off Centerville Beach.
For many years Darrel worked on the race track for the Humboldt County Fair. He ran the grader, harrow and water truck and helped get the track ready and maintained for the horse racing.
We want to thank Hospice of Humboldt for their caring assistance the last weeks of Darrel’s life. Their help was immeasurable.
He was a loving husband, father, brother, grandfather and great grandfather, brother-in-law, uncle and cousin to his family. Darrel was loyal, humorous and loved a good joke. Some of which he told many times! He was very proud of his family and loved them dearly.
He is survived by his wife, Carole, his daughter, Barb Polasek, and his son, Marty Polasek and his wife, Carolyn Polasek. His grandsons Cody and Kyle Killingsworth and granddaughter Dillon Polasek. His great grandchildren Preston, Alanah, Kanyn, Kyana and Koby Killingsworth. His sisters Linda Polasek and Lora Pritchard. His sisters-in-law Suzi Bailey and Lynn Dorn and their families. Darrel is also survived by several nieces and nephews and their families, and cousins.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, May 9, 2026, at the Half Ass Flat Ranch. Time to be determined.
In lieu of flowers a memorial to a charity of your choice is suggested.
I met Darrel and Carole when I was in my 20’s. I was part of a group of folks who rode horses and mules down the coast from the Mattole to Shelter Cove. I fell in love with Darrel and Carole. I had never shared so many stories and belly laughs. The Clarkes, Polasek’s, Nortons and my husband to be at the time, Chris Beck, and Jenni Beck (me) were on that four day trip. We visited with the Polaseks throughout the years and they came to visit us at Cow Mountain hunting club.
One year I was on a road trip with my special brother, Scottie, and we stopped in to visit Darrel and Carole at Half-Ass Flat Ranch. Scottie was physically deformed and had a very wry sense of humor. Darrel and him hit it off immediately and between the two of them had Carole and I in stitches during that visit. Darrel was so kind to Scottie, which made me love him even more.
I will never forget his smile, his hug, or his sense of humor. He was one of the most solid men I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing.
I love you Carole and am sorry for your loss.
My sincere sympathy goes out to Carol and Darrel’s family. Darrel and I were second cousins on his father’s side of the family. (Our grandmothers were sisters from Czechoslovakia.) I will treasure the few times Darrel and I visited and shared family stories. It was a walk down memory lane when I introduced him to cousins in the Fresno area. (Our mothers were very close and would write to each other often.)
May God bless Darrel with eternal peace and may happy memories give his family comfort in the days and years to come.