Darrell Venable Rhyne entered his Heavenly home August 25, 2025 surrounded by loved ones. He left behind a host of family and friends to forever cherish the memories of his faith, love of family, devotion, his style, love of music, and dance along with his genuine smile.
Darrell's dedication to God, his giving heart and vibrant personality was only a portion of the man known as dad, son, brother, uncle, Pastor, partner and friend.
As a child Darrell had dreams of one day attending the opera. Not only did this dream come to fruition but grew into him going on to perform in the Shreveport Opera on multiple occasions. In school, relationships were created that are still spoken of today. His dedication to his faith in God lead to his position as Pastor of Christ Church of Hope in Shreveport, LA., which has been credited to leading many to the Lord.
He poured his love of family, faith and devotion into others, especially those in the LGBTQ community with the knowledge that he may be the only family some had, stating he was blessed to have the support of his family, while others may not. Darrell felt honored to officiate the first same sex marriage in Shreveport.
His giving efforts grew into the coordination and facilitation of outreach activities to the homeless and less fortunate of Shreveport. Giving to the community with the mindset of "whatever they did with the gifts they received were between them and God".
Darrell enjoyed and excelled in various hobbies and interests, including singing, dancing, trivia, fishing, camping, hosting family and friends for holidays, especially Christmas.
Along with Jeff Venable Rhyne, together they raised a beautiful young lady starting from the age of four. In 2002 Darrell met a very quiet four year-old young lady named Rhiannon. Darrell was driving us home from a movie in his pristine Thunderbird, unbeknownst to him, Rhiannon was prone to carsickness at the time, especially when riding in the backseat. When the inevitable happened Darrell did not panic nor show concern regarding his cars interior. His focus was on making sure Rhiannon was okay to which he took his shirt off and used it to clean her up. He would spend the rest of his life doing just that, making sure she was protected, cared for, and loved.
Darrell was preceded in death by his father, Donnie O. Rhyne; his sister, Donna M. Rhyne and his grandmother Treby L. Carter.
Left to cherish his memory is his partner, Shawn; daughter, Rhiannon Venable (Deanna Venable); mother, Martha Clifton (Eddie); brothers, Donnie Arthur Rhyne (Terri) and Ronald Rhyne; sister, Priscilla Gonzales (Todd); nieces and nephews, Rodney Rhyne, Michael Rhyne, Jonathan Rhyne, Tad Rhyne, Chelsea Tucker, Willie Faye Johnson, Lynnsey Rhyne, Zachary Gonzales, Brianna Rhyne, Carter Gonzales, along with their spouses and many other nieces and nephews.
A Visitation for Darrell will be held Tuesday, September 2, 2025 from 10:00 to 11:00 AM at Centuries Memorial Funeral Home, 8801 Mansfield Rd., Shreveport, Louisiana 71108 followed by a Celebration of Life Service at 11:00 AM. Officiating the service will be Rev. David Jarrett. Interment will take place at Pruitt Lake Cemetery, Avinger, Texas.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Philadelphia Center, 2020 Centenary Blvd., Shreveport, Louisiana 71104.
Darrell once made the statement, "so much of who a person is comes from the friends and family they encounter throughout their lives". This is who Darrell was, ensuring that his legacy will live on in the hearts of all who knew him.
