The funeral service for Darwin Henry Bettmann will be on Saturday, November 14, 2026, at 11:00 am at St. John’s Lutheran Church, rural Aberdeen, with burial to follow. Visitation will be on Friday, November 13 from 5:00–7:30 pm at Spitzer-Miller Funeral Home in Aberdeen.

Darwin was born in Aberdeen, SD on February 25, 1942, and passed away peacefully on November 8, 2026, in Savage, MN. Darwin was the second of five children of Henry and Alvina Bettmann. He grew up on the farm in rural Aberdeen and graduated from Aberdeen Central High School. Darwin attended college at Concordia University in Seward, NE where he received his teaching degree. He met Mary Grimm at St Paul’s Lutheran School in Kankakee, IL, where they were both teachers. They married on July 24, 1966, in Owatonna, MN. Darwin continued teaching and serving as a principal at St. Paul’s. They moved back to the farm he grew up on in 1978. Darwin taught in Redfield and farmed before he started working for Brown County Co-op in 1980 as the bulk propane delivery driver where he served the customers on his route until his retirement from South Dakota Wheat Growers in 2003. He and Mary raised their five children with a commitment to church, education, character, and hard work. In retirement, he continued working on the farm, driving truck for other farmers and providing civic service as a member of the Warner Township Board, the Brown County Planning/Zoning Commission, and on the board of the South Dakota Association of Towns and Townships.

Darwin was a man of deep faith and strong work ethic, and he instilled those qualities in his children. He could start a conversation with anyone. When meeting someone new, he could always find a connection to a relative, a neighbor, or a propane customer. He loved the farm, raising cattle and grain, being outdoors, and tinkering on machinery. He could fix anything. He was a devoted husband, father and grandfather. One of his many legacies was instituting “Bettmann Family Weekend,” ensuring that for one extended weekend every summer, the entire family would come together for a vacation and family bonding.

Darwin is survived by his wife of 60 years Mary (Grimm) Bettmann, his children Deric Bettmann, Craig (Kristen) Bettmann, Amanda (Tony) Becker, Chad (Heather) Bettmann, and Daniel Bettmann, his grandchildren Anna, Jane, Evelyn, Henry, Liliana, Miles, and Andrew, and his siblings Sylvia, Birdene, Audrey, and Martin.

Darwin was preceded in death by his parents Henry and Alvina Bettmann.

Memorials are optional but can be directed to The Lutheran Hour.