Darwin Eugene Rector, age 81, passed away on Monday, October 6, 2025, at the Estelline Nursing and Care Center in Estelline, SD. A Funeral Service will be held at 1:00 pm with light refreshments to follow on Thursday, October 9, 2025, at Geise Funeral Chapel in Estelline, SD. The Interment will then follow after at the Badger City Cemetery.

Darwin was born in 1944 in Watertown, South Dakota. His parents were Carl and Velma. Darwin had four siblings; Richard, Marjorie, Roger and Gary. After high school in Hayti, Darwin farmed and operated a service station. During his younger years he attended Augustana College and married MaryAnn Liljegren. They enjoyed going square dancing, bowling and card parties. By the early eighties Darwin and MaryAnn had two boys, DeWayne and Nathan and soon a girl, Helen. They had also moved to Wyoming to follow work when he became an employee at the State Highway Department. Throughout the 80's Darwin moved through the ranks to land in the Bighorn Mountains as the Foreman on the crew that maintained the mountain highways.

Through this time, Darwin showed how much he supported his family and community. He was a member and Elder of Dayton Community Church. Darwin put in long and early days plowing snow and repairing roads. From juggling his busy work schedule to catching his kids school activities, when possible, to hunting and fishing. Darwin was always that person who could be available to help others in need. Leaning on an extensive and knowledgeable building background he could run equipment and operate power tools with ease. Darwin could help build a house or help grow a garden. Where MaryAnn could come up with an idea, Darwin would bring it to life. From small decorative projects, to plumbing and electrical, to working on cars and putting an entire second floor on a house. Darwin could do it all. It wasn't all work either, Darwin very much enjoyed fishing, hunting, going atv-ing, to simply going for a drive to watch elk and moose.

Darwin retired from the state in 2009 and, with MaryAnn, moved back home to South Dakota. There, he enjoyed the love and quirks of his chocolate lab "Sassy", remodeled his old house, built sheds and generally enjoyed his retirement. Along with those things, Darwin enjoyed catching up with and hearing about his four grandchildren. DeWayne and Tami's daughter, Kylee, and Nathan and Sara's kids, Sydney, Danica and Grayson. With crystal blue eyes twinkling, Darwin would show his sense of "Dad" humor throughout his life right up to the end joking in the hospital he would say he was in to change his oil to the nurses. Darwin lived a lot in his life and affected many. He will be greatly missed and remembered.