 TriValleyCentral -- Staff Sgt. E6 Darrel Kasson, 43, was driving back to base from a mission when his Humvee was hit by an improvised explosive device (IED), according his wife, Lori. A memorial service were scheduled at 1 p.m. today in the Florence High School gym.
Army representatives came to Florence on Sunday night to report the news to Lori Kasson. Two others in the vehicle reportedly survived the blast.
Darrel Kasson was born and raised in Tucson, and he and his family had lived in Florence for almost 14 years. He worked for the Arizona Department of Corrections in Florence for 17 years. The Kassons have three children - ages 22, 19 and 15 - and two grandchildren.
Two weeks ago, Darrel achieved 20 years with the Arizona Army National Guard, where he worked in field artillery and drove tanks. He had asked to retire last fall, but the National Guard declined and sent him to Iraq in October to work as an MP.
Kasson served at Camp Anaconda in Balad, which is some 50 miles north of Baghdad in an area known as the Sunni Triangle. His weekend mission was to transport contractors to a work site.
Lori said she spoke with her husband by phone for about 20 minutes Friday, and he expressed worry about the mission. "He just felt funny about this one," she said, and the couple prayed together over the phone.
Darrel did home repair and improvements for Mandell & Associates and others for nearly as long as the family has lived in Florence, his wife said.
He also did extensive repairs and remodeling on the Florence Baptist Church building at Butte Avenue and Willow Street. Pastor Dale Storm said Darrel had a talent for a variety of tasks. "He could do auto mechanics, carpentry, just about anything.
"He enjoyed helping other people," Storm continued. "And he enjoyed working with kids." Darrel led all of the church's youth programs for four years. He was
also an active leader in a softball league for state prison employees.
In a written statement, the family thanked all those who've been praying for Darrel during his months in Iraq. "Darrel passed on doing one of his greatest passions, and that was serving his country," the statement said.
Total Concept salon, 289 N. Main St., is holding a fundraiser for the family. Everyone who makes a donation will receive a raffle ticket for gifts donated by local merchants
==Another news story==
FLORENCE - While serving with the Arizona National Guard in Iraq, Darrel Kasson picked up the nickname "Padre" because he wouldn't head out on missions without saying a prayer. 
When going on convoy duty, he frequently volunteered for the lead, the most dangerous position.
On Tuesday, one year to the day after he was killed in Iraq, relatives and colleagues gathered at the prison complex here to remember the dedication Kasson brought to his duties as a soldier and as a correctional officer. The Arizona Department of Corrections renamed the prison unit where he worked "Cell Block Kasson."
Kasson, a native Tucsonan who graduated from Amphitheater High School in 1982, worked for the Department of Corrections for 18 years and served for 20 years in the Arizona Army National Guard, holding the rank of staff sergeant. Stationed in Balad, he was killed at age 43 when an improvised explosive device blew up near his vehicle. He left behind a wife, three children and two grandchildren.
"He was an extremely well-liked individual, someone who was very dedicated to everything that they did," said Carson McWilliams, warden at the Arizona State Prison Complex-Florence.
Fellow Guard members said Kasson was a father figure who offered wisdom along with humor,
Spc. Bennett Fulton said Kasson's instruction on locating IEDs saved the lives of many soldiers. "I think he's the main reason I came home alive because of what he trained me to do, and I was able to pass that on."
Kasson served with the Army National Guard's 259th Engineer Company. Its duties included transporting contractors in the area around Balad, about 50 miles north of Baghdad.
Photo:
Maj. Gen. David Rataczak, adjutant general of the Arizona National Guard, presents Sheron Jones with a scrapbook created by members of the unit her son, Staff Sgt. Darrel Kasson, a state prison guard, served with in Iraq. On Tuesday, state officials renamed a cell block at the Arizona State Prison Complex-Florence after Kasson, a native Tucsonan and Amphitheater High School graduate who died March 4, 2007, while on duty in Iraq.  | 
I would like to say thank you for your service and sacrifice for our Country. And to your family and loved ones, I wish to extend my deepest sympathy.
A grateful citizen