Darwin Reed Datwyler

Darwin Reed Datwyler, loving husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and friend passed away peacefully surrounded by family at his home in El Dorado Hills, California on Sunday, December 18, 2022.

Dar was 90 years old. He was born in Logan, Utah the son of Christian Frederick Datwyler and Selma Holjeson Datwyler. He had 3 brothers and 4 sisters.

He graduated from Logan High in 1950 and went on to get a degree in Aeronautics through the ROTC program at Utah State University in Logan where he was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity.

While at USU Dar met the love of his life, Eleanor “Ellie” Burnett. They began their 67-year marriage at the beautiful Logan Temple in 1955. He’s lovingly called her Rose, my Rose, or Rosie.

They quickly headed to Florida to begin his Air Force training. These were adventurous years stationed around the world flying jets. Their first child, Jeff, was born while stationed in Texas and their first daughter, Dana, was born in Japan.

Then Dar decided he wanted to be an orthodontist. They returned to Utah State for his prerequisite classes then on to Case Western Reserve in Cleveland, Ohio for dental and orthodontic school. Their third child, David, was born here. It was a busy time with studies, young kids, and lots of part-time jobs to support his family. This is probably when Darwin’s amazing work ethic really kicked in. He worked late nights mopping floors at a downtown department store and shuffling carts of coal to heat the university. On weekends he would go door-to-door in nice neighborhoods offering to sharpen kitchen knives. Amidst all this, they made lifelong friends with fellow students.

On to California where Dar began his orthodontic practice in the suburban town of Danville, east of San Francisco. Their youngest child, Darice was born here. They lived in Danville for many years and the kids did most of their growing up there. Dar was a central figure in the dental community, had many friends, and was respected by all. Lots of people were walking around with sore teeth because "Dr. D" had tightened their braces. After the family was grown they moved to Carmel where they spent their retirement years.

Dar had many hobbies and interests. Hunting and fishing trips were a big part of his life. There was lots of snow skiing in Tahoe and Utah. He and Ellie enjoyed a lifetime of travel with family and friends. He was an avid reader and learner. He was good at drawing pictures, sharing stories, and making people laugh.

He was really a rancher at heart and owned several ranches over the years. He’d drive to the ranch, get out of his Suburban, and immediately hop onto his tractor and get to work improving something on the property. He envisioned a perfect spot for a lake on his Berry Creek Ranch but was discouraged with hiring out the excavation so he bought a tractor, dug a big hole, and built a dam. It rained… and he had his lake for the grandkids and geese to enjoy.

Most of all Darwin was an awesome husband, dad, grandpa, and great-grandpa aka “Grumps”. There are many wonderful memories of tractor rides. He taught his grandsons to hunt. He held grandkid “duck club” complete with duck calls. They launched potato rockets into the ocean. When the great-grands got too rowdy he would try to teach them to meditate. There were lots of messages of encouragement and lessons on hard work and how “deprivation builds character”. He cared about his family.

His life was an example that will live far beyond his days on this Earth.

Darwin was predeceased by his parents Fred and Selma Datwyler, his brother Glen (Barbara) Datwyler, and sisters Nedra Datwyler and Renee (Jim) Linford.

He leaves behind his wife Ellie, his four kids Jeff (Tammy), Dana (Dan), David (Jen), Darice (Greg), his eleven grandkids, and eleven great-grandkids. His brothers Denzel (Joan) Datwyler, Boyd (Jan) Datwyler, sisters Birdean (Grant) Flint and Sandra (Glen) Nielson.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, January 7th at 10:30 a.m. at Allen-Hall Mortuary, 34 E. Center St. in Logan. A viewing will be held from 6:00-7:30 p.m. on Friday evening at the funeral home. Interment will be in the Logan City Cemetery. Condolences and memories can be sent to the family online at www.allenmortuaries.com .

A RECORDING OF THE FUNERAL CAN BE FOUND BY CLICKING HERE

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