Celebrating 50 years of music for the Lord

Zion Lutheran Church is a special place for Irma Darlage.

She is a charter member of the Seymour church.

She was married there in 1961.

And she has played organ and piano there for 49 years. Add one year playing at Lord of Life Church in North Vernon to make it 50.

For the 50 years of beautiful music, the Board of Lay Ministry and Board of Parish Fellowship at Zion will honor Darlage on Sunday at both services.

Over the years, Darlage has played at weddings, funerals and other occasions at Zion and other places.

"I always wanted to play an instrument, but I never did," Darlage, 68, said.

She eventually gained interest in playing piano from a cousin, and she took her first lesson at age 7.

After that lesson, she said, "Every time I would find a piano, I wanted to sit down and pluck around a little bit."

Before joining Zion, Darlage was a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Seymour, and she had attended Immanuel Lutheran School.

A minister at Lord of Life knew Darlage's parents, and she began playing music there. That's where she played in public for the first time, and she played during church services and at baccalaureate and graduation.

At Immanuel Lutheran School, Darlage had one particular teacher who had her play during opening devotions "every once in a while," so she always made sure she knew the hymns.

"I took some piano and my organ lessons from the organist at Immanuel," she said.

By the time she got to high school, she played for the choirs. The experience she gained from playing at Lord of Life helped her with that.

Darlage then learned of a new church organizing, and that's when she joined Zion. While the new building was being constructed, beginning in July 1959, services first were held at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Seymour before moving to the old Jackson School, now Jackson County Education Center.

All that time, though, Darlage was able to keep practicing and playing.

"There was an organ in the gymnasium up on the stage (at Immanuel) and they allowed me to practice there," she said. "I couldn't have done it without that."

On Aug. 6, 1961, the first service was held at the current Zion building on Gaiser Drive, and there were 215 baptized members. Fourteen days later, Darlage and her husband, Robert, were married there.

"We were the first ones married in this church," Darlage said.

With the Darlages' three daughters, Jill, Greta and Kathe, involved in the high school band, Darlage got the opportunity to play for them, and some of their friends, at area and state band contests. Jill played oboe in high school, while Greta played flute and Kathe played clarinet. Jill is now the choir director at Zion.

Darlage also got to accompany her stepgrandson, Kody Kamman, in his audition for the Concordia Wind Symphony in Chicago.

"That was a whole lot different" than playing for Zion's congregation, Darlage said. But, she added, "He knew what to expect from me and I knew what to expect from him."

That went well, and now Kody, 20, is a member of the wind symphony and a sophomore at Concordia University Chicago.

Of playing music at Zion, Darlage said she arrives "a little before 7," since a service starts at 8 a.m. and people begin arriving a half-hour early. She also plays during the 10:30 a.m. service.

"I go through all of the music, the prelude, offertory and postlude," she said. "It just kind of calms my nerves to be here early."

Caleb Funke, director of parish music and youth ministry, and the Rev. Jeffrey Stuckwisch choose the hymns and Darlage adds the rest of the music.

"God's word draws us closer to him," Stuckwisch said. "That word is proclaimed in a number of ways, including hymn and song. This Sunday we give thanks to the Lord that he has used Irma's talents as an organist to strengthen his people through the sung word."

Darlage said music makes the services flow.

"It has to go with the service," Darlage said. "I like to play things that the congregation kind of thinks of the words (of the hymn) while I'm playing. I really want the music to draw them nearer to God while they are here at church."

Darlage also can practice on the organ and piano at home, which is west of Seymour and about 20 minutes from Zion.

"It sure saves me a lot of mileage," she said. "I can be practicing on the organ and have the washer going or a meal on the stove."

Of all the Sundays Darlage has played at Zion, she said she hasn't missed one.

"The Lord has really given me good health," she said.

Besides playing music at Zion, Darlage worked at Schneck Medical Center and Jackson County Bank, from where she retired in 1995. Since then, she's helped her husband on the farm.

On Sunday, Kody will take the reins on piano and organ while Darlage is honored by the Zion congregation.

But after Sunday, Darlage plans to return to playing music for the congregation, which is something she truly enjoys.

"I just try to lead them in worship," she said. "You really just do the best you can."