Darwin Lee, 81, of Bismarck, passed away on June 15, 2026, in a local hospital.

Visitation will be held on Thursday, June 18, starting at 11 a.m., at Eastgate Funeral Service, 3117 E Century Ave, and family and friends are invited to the burial at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery at 1 p.m. 

Born on June 12, 1945, to Walter and Lorena Haar, Darwin grew up in Roscoe, South Dakota, where he graduated from high school. After school, he spent some time doing custom combining with his brother Duane before joining the Air Force and serving four years during the Vietnam War. After his honorable discharge, he had a brief stint in California with family before returning to Roscoe to farm for a while. Eventually, Darwin made his way to Bismarck, where he started as a custodian, later purchasing a window cleaning business in 1974, which he ran until November 2025. He had planned to work until he turned 85!

On April 10, 1999, Darwin married Laura. They lived in the same house for 27 years, which together they made their home. Known for his love of gadgets, Darwin had a knack for everything technical—even at one point keeping a 125-gallon aquarium filled with freshwater fish! A member of the Worldwide Church of God, he and Laura started a Bible study at home when that community faded, publishing a 24-page newsletter and sharing it with hundreds from 2001 until 2009. They revived the Church of God Messenger in 2021 until Darwin's cancer diagnosis in November 2025.

Darwin had a hand in everything around their home, as evidenced by his skillful remodeling of their house, originally built in 1927. He and Laura were also animal lovers, having cared for many pets over the years. Most recently, they enjoyed the company of their three dogs: Bubbles, Brandi, and the lovable giant Jadie, and a few cherished cats, including Dillon, the one Darwin bonded with the most. In addition to spending quality time watching movies together, they enjoyed dining out and took some memorable trips to Medora and geocaching with Tammy.

Darwin was survived by his loving wife, Laura; stepdaughter, Tammy and her husband Todd Koch, along with their son Devyn; siblings, Duane Haar, Shirley Tupper, Karen Kaye, and Lorena Haar; nieces, Colleen and Kim; nephews: Michael, Mark, Matthew, Wade, Christopher, Michael, David, and Jonathan 

Darwin was preceded in death by his parents, infant brother, Raymond Haar; sister-in-law Joanne Haar, and her son, Brian.