Darwin Kent Steffler

Darwin Kent Steffler, whose sense of humor was surpassed only by his kindness, passed peacefully from the burdens of life on June 18, 2026 at his home in Hurricane, Utah. 

Darwin was born in Shelley, ID to John and Alta Steffler. 

He grew up in West Yellowstone, Montana and Idaho Falls, Idaho, where he met and married LaRae Johnson. Together, Darwin and LaRae moved to Denver and had three children; Eric, Danielle, and Darrin. In Denver he was a trained draftsman who worked for Western Electric and ushered for the Broncos at Mile High Stadium. Living in Denver led the family to be intense Broncos fans; a fandom that would unite all of them in tears of both frustration and joy over the years, even after leaving Denver to move back to West Yellowstone. 

After assuming the operation of the family-owned Lakeview Cabins on Hebgen Lake he made it a summertime destination to which people looked forward to returning year after year. During the winter months he drove snow coaches into Yellowstone National Park, drove snow plows for Gallatin County, and worked as a mechanic and driver for the snowmobile trail grooming program around West Yellowstone. 

Darwin was truly a jack of all trades. He was a certified Evinrude outboard motor mechanic, started and ran a log chinking business, and later converted the fishing resort into a condominium project. Throughout his life he demonstrated an uncanny knack for identifying problems and developing solutions to them. He was an avid reader and very intelligent. 

Darwin’s sense of humor was legendary and his gregarious nature was infectious. Throughout his life he was always surrounded by people who enjoyed time spent with him. That could not be more true than for his grandchildren, whom he adored spending time with and spoiling. 

If the impact of the loss of a person is measured by the number of people who call them a friend, then it is hard to imagine a more impactful loss than Darwin’s. He will be missed not only by family and loved ones, but by the many hundreds of people that he met through the years at Lakeview and who grew to call him a friend. 

He was preceded in death by his parents John and Alta, brother David and sister Annette. He is survived by his brothers; Elvonne, Doren, and Rory, wife; Pam, three children; Eric (Emily), Danielle (Gary), and Darrin (Tamara), seven grandchildren; Jorden (Rebekah), Savannah (Nate), Erin (Jeff), Landon (Elizabeth), Peter (Sarah), Morgan (Chase) Glenn, Alexandria (Scott) Squires, Izaac (Tie-Ler), and five great grandchildren. 

On his recent 82nd birthday, he figured it would be his last and said that he had very few complaints. One of them being that he wouldn’t get to see the Broncos win the Superbowl again. If that is one of his only laments, then he had certainly lived the life that he desired. Those who knew him were better for having had him in their lives