Linphord Aaron Darlington

Linphord Aaron Darlington, II was born on June 26, 1941 in Arima, Trinidad and Tobago.  He departed this life to be with the Lord on August 11, 2021.  He was the eldest of five children born to Aaron and Desirée Darlington, who pre-deceased him. 
 
In Tobago, Linphord attended the elementary school where his father was principal. He then attended Elizabeth College, and upon graduation, he moved to Trinidad to complete his A-level examinations.  He entered Howard University in Washington, DC, and earned a Bachelor's degree in mathematics, with a minor in physics. Later, he went on to earn two Master's degrees: one in Public Administration from New York University and the other in Mathematics from the New Jersey Institute of Technology.
 
Linphord was recruited from Howard University to be a statistician at University Hospital in Newark, NJ.  After a short stay there, he moved to Prudential Insurance Company in Newark, NJ, as a Community Relations Manager. While at Prudential, he was particularly proud of one of his accomplishments: School Within a School. That "project" went on to become Science High School in the Newark Public School System. He soon became a mathematics professor at Essex County College, which allowed him to pursue his true passion. All during his employment at Prudential, he also worked as an adjunct professor in mathematics at Rutgers Newark.
 
Linphord met his wife, Sybil, while working at Rutgers University. Sybil was also teaching mathematics in the Academic Foundations Department. Their mutual interest in teaching math led them to explore other areas they had in common. They found that their West Indian backgrounds brought them even closer together (Sybil's forebears are from St. Kitts), in particular their love of calypso music.  After many years of sharing their lives and responsibilities, they decided to get married.  He loved spending time with his beloved wife, Sybil, and two children, Linphord III, and Lateef. 
 
Linphord was a hard worker with an entrepreneurial spirit.  He opened two print shops in Newark, while maintaining his "day job." He would often toil through the night to meet printing deadlines and then go straight to work in the morning without sleep.  He also managed several rental properties that he owned in Newark.  
 
Affectionately known by his close friends as "Tapo," Linphord was known for his boisterous laugh, colorful sense of humor, and thought-provoking conversations.  He loved working on exotic cars, attending African Echoes Friday Night Book Club, and joking with his friends.  Most of all he loved listening to (and singing) calypso music.  He was an associate member of St. Mark's United Methodist Church.
 
Linphord is survived by his loving wife Sybil; two sons, Linphord III (wife Deanna), of Washington, DC, and Lateef, of Allentown, Pennsylvania; stepson Kalí Smith (wife Nancy), of Riverside, California; grandson Lateef Jr; sister Ruth (she was nicknamed Ribbon by Linphord at her birth), of Newark, NJ, (he was predeceased by his brother Theodore, and two sisters, Clemence and Clarita); two nephews, Theodore Jr. (wife Kimya) and Khary; aunt Julia O'Brien (of Dominica); sisters-in-law, Barbara and Jennifer (husband David); long-time friends, Herbert George and Bruce Hamlette; and a host of other family members and friends.
 
Linphord will be sorely missed by all who knew and loved him. 

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Linphord Aaron Darlington, please visit our floral store.