Darice Vita Bossen

Darice was born in Brooklyn, New York, and spent her formative years on Long Island before moving to Atlanta in the 1970s. It was there that she met and married David Bossen, and together they welcomed their daughter, Elisa, who became the light of their lives.

Darice lived a life that was anything but ordinary. Bright, beautiful, and possessed of an unmistakable sense of adventure, she had a way of embracing life fully and fearlessly. She traveled, she explored, she entertained, she sang, she laughed, and, yes, she even went skydiving.

Professionally, Darice spent many successful years as an executive in the steel industry before doing something that was quintessentially Darice: she completely reinvented herself. Leaving the corporate world behind, she became a clinical hypnotherapist and opened her own practice. It was work she found deeply meaningful, and through it she touched and transformed the lives of countless people. She had an extraordinary ability to connect with others, and to see possibilities in them they sometimes could not see in themselves. 

But Darice did not need a profession to change people’s lives. Simply knowing her could do that. She was a force—vibrant, lively, warm, funny, and completely engaging. She possessed an energy that seemed to fill whatever room she entered, along with an amazing laugh that those who knew her will never forget. Beautiful and seemingly ageless, she carried with her a sense of possibility and an enthusiasm for life that made being around her an experience in itself.

Music was another thread that ran throughout Darice’s life. She loved to sing and did so for many years simply for the joy of it. She even took singing lessons to strengthen and develop her voice, and everyone who heard her sing loved the beauty and warmth of it. Sharing her gift of song brought joy not only to Darice, but to all who had the pleasure of listening.

Perhaps nothing captures Darice’s adventurous spirit better than the decision she made upon retiring in 2023. At an age when many people are settling comfortably into familiar routines, Darice did precisely the opposite: she picked up her life and moved to another country. She made a new home in Salinas, Ecuador, overlooking the Pacific Ocean, and began yet another adventure. Her mornings might find her sipping coffee while looking out over the water; her evenings might find her behind a microphone, singing karaoke or performing for a crowd. It was bold, joyful, a little unexpected—and entirely Darice.

She is survived by her husband, David, her beloved daughter, Elisa, and her son-in-law, Charles, whom she loved dearly. She also leaves behind many friends and countless people whose lives are different because Darice was once a part of them.