Darren Smart

Darren Derroid “Dude” Smart is remembered for the easy warmth he carried into every ordinary day. A native of Baton Rouge, Darren enjoyed time outdoors — hunting, fishing and the simple pleasures of neighborhood life — and was a senior at Istrouma High School, where classmates and teachers spoke of his presence with affection.

Darren was a son and a brother surrounded by family who loved him. He is survived by his mother, Linda Smart; relatives Gary Trahan and Darren Jacobs; his brother Gary Trahan Jr.; his sister Janiya Trahan; grandparents Alice and Andrew Smart and Audrey Jacobs and Robert Mitchell; his godmother Shirley Hinyard; aunts Tasha and Jessica Smart and Delana and Tameka Jacobs; uncles Derrick and Delmus Jacobs; and many cousins, extended family and friends. Family members remember him by the nickname “Dude,” a small sign of the place he held in the lives of those who knew him.

Beyond the names on a list, Darren’s life included hope for the immediate future: he was expecting a baby boy, Jace, in December 2011 — a father-to-be who was already in his plans and in his heart. In the days following his passing, teachers, friends and neighbors offered condolences and recalled a young man who brought a smile to those around him and who mattered to his community.

Visitation was held at New Light Missionary Baptist Church, and family and friends gathered to celebrate Darren’s life before his burial at Roselawn Memorial Park. Arrangements were handled by Carney & Mackey Funeral Home. Those who knew him have left notes of remembrance, describing the small, human moments — a bike ride down the street, a greeting shouted across a yard — that made Darren someone people recognized and loved.

Darren’s memory lives on in the family he leaves behind and in the child he was preparing to welcome. Though his life was unexpectedly brief, the care shown by his community and the names of those who survive him remain a testament to a young life that mattered.