Daren Wayne Pardue

He was born in Dallas, Texas on October 6, 1966 to Martha Ann and Billy Wayne Pardue. Daren attended Grapevine High School, graduating in 1985, where he made many friends. He ran track and played football for GHS, in fact, his dad never missed a game — even paying his co-workers at Braniff Airlines to work for him so he could watch Daren race down the field.

He attended The University of North Texas in Denton and was a member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity, where he developed close relationships that spanned decades. It was there he met and fell in love with Melissa Power, his first wife. The couple moved to Kansas City to be close to his parents and sister, Leni Rene Lawson, who passed away later that year. It was in Kansas City that Daren followed in his father’s footsteps, throwing bags for Braniff Airlines. This began what would become a lifetime of employment in the airline industry. He was working as a customer service agent the day Braniff closed their doors in 1989. True to character, Daren stayed until every last one of the very upset travelers was taken care of — not an easy task. Daren then attended FAA dispatch school in Minneapolis. American Eagle sent him to Poughkeepsie for a year. Then he and Melissa returned to Dallas where Daren worked with American Eagle, and their son Ross was born in 1991 in Irving.

Daren became an FAA licensed Flight Dispatcher holding multiple operational management positions at American Eagle/Envoy, including departmental manager. Daren was responsible for ensuring the safe, dependable, and efficient operation of more than 1400 daily flights. He was the representative for the Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP) from 2004-2012 and was a member of the American Eagle Accident Investigation Go Team.

In November of 2012, he made the move to American Airlines as a Sector Manger, supervising on-duty dispatchers, creating operational plans to mitigate the effects of weather, aircraft mechanical problems, ATC constraints, and any other sources of disruption to the airline. He worked his way up to the role of Manager of Standards & Efficiency where he managed multiple large projects dealing with fuel efficiency, aircraft retrofits, and aircraft routing and movement. He was also a leader in the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF), a program that evacuated Afghan refugees.

Cheering for The Dallas Cowboys is a deep tradition in the Pardue family, and Daren was a huge fan. Well, most of the time. Daren’s love/hate relationship with the Cowboys was incredibly entertaining to watch. One minute he was wearing their jersey, the next it was in the fireplace – although he never lit it. He relished attending games with his best friend Mike and his son Ross. Fantasy football was also one of Daren’s favorite things that they did together. Beyond their bonding over sports, Daren and Ross shared a love for music and travel. While Ross was growing up, they were always on the go—making wonderful memories skiing together and visiting many cities. They shared an eclectic taste in music, constantly sending new discoveries to each other. They both appreciated the kinds of bands that wrote songs with meaningful lyrics. Some of Daren’s favorites included The Police, U2, Bob Schneider, Ben Folds, Elbow, and countless others. Daren would go deep on the backstories of his favorite bands and their songs, soaking up documentaries and reading biographies of his most admired artists. He had an uncanny way of retaining the tiniest details and knew all the words to every song.

It was this passion for music that brought him together with his love, Tina Tackett. They were two of a kind when it came to live music, travel, and cheering on The Dallas Cowboys. In their house (and in the car, and at the office, no matter where they were) they were tuned to sports radio 1310 The Ticket. They loved to talk about sports. And music. And travel. Daren was an incredible tour guide and loved to go everywhere with Tina by his side. Daren’s flight benefits allowed them to fly all over the country attending concerts of some of their favorite bands, sometimes even just up and back. One of the most memorable of these trips was to San Diego to see Elbow, and not just because “One Day Like This” is Tina and Daren’s song. It was at Kansas City BBQ (the “Top Gun bar”) that they nearly ran into the band Elbow themselves. The story of that near miss was told for weeks.

Daren had a quick wit and rich sarcasm, balanced by a kind and gentle sincerity that made everyone he met feel completely seen. One of those people was his bonus daughter, Trinity. Their playful banter showed how much love they had for one another. He was one of her fiercest supporters, and their bond was strong. She loved him for his goofy jokes, tight hugs, and how he always pushed her to be herself.

Daren is survived by his son, Ross Pardue; his love, Tina Tackett and bonus daughter, Trinity Tackett; parents, Martha and Bill Pardue; his niece, Cinthia Ann Miller, her husband Sean Thomas Miller and their daughter Jocelyn Rene; and Daren’s two beloved dogs Roxanne and Gucci. He was predeceased by his sister, Leni Rene Lawson.

The family will have a private memorial service at The Kessler Theater, Daren’s favorite music venue. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests honoring Daren’s memory with a gift to MusiCares.org, an organization that provides a safety net of critical health and welfare services to people in need in the music community. MusiCares helps the humans behind music because music gives so much to the world.