(AGENPARL) – STANFORD (CA) gio 20 aprile 2023

This obituary was published by the Sun-Sentinel on Apr. 24, 2022.

Darwin Jon Lookingbill, the sixth of Lee and Eleanor Lookingbill’s seven children, was born in Spencer, Iowa, and graduated from Drake University and Stanford Law with honors. Important influences in his early life included playing sports, being a member of the tuba section in band, and studying abroad while in college. Darwin’s large family and his July 8th birthday, just days after the 4th of July, meant he reliably received an American flag for his birthday that he could hang on the family flagpole.

After graduating from Stanford in 1980, Darwin joined the Oppenheimer law firm in Minneapolis as a first-year associate. David Potter was in the same Oppenheimer first-year associate class, and their bromance flourished into a romance by 1983. Early in their relationship, before they even realized it, Friday night became date night. They celebrated the thirtieth year of their partnership with a wedding on September 21, 2013, on the banks of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis.

Darwin’s superpower was his ability to cultivate an eclectic group of friends. Many found themselves mystified by how fast a deep and meaningful friendship could develop. Those closest to Darwin have always regarded him as brilliant, and his ability to have conversations about the problems and opportunities in the world kept many of us up late into the night.

Being in Darwin’s presence made you feel smarter, happier, and unconditionally loved. Darwin’s laugh could be deep and loud, but other times something everyone else found funny would barely make him crack a smile. To this day, David may be the only person who has come close to understanding Darwin’s beautiful but confounding sense of humor.

Justice was at the core of Darwin’s self-described bleeding heart. His volunteer time and philanthropy focused on issues of justice that experienced significant victories along the way, including voting rights, marriage equality, and access to housing. His debates with friends about the importance and need for social programs weren’t theoretical but came from his own life experience.

As a public sector attorney, first in Ramsey County and then for the State of Minnesota, Darwin combined his love for the practice of law with his passion for justice. We know he provided so many Minnesotans with the protection they needed, even when they didn’t know it.

Darwin and David built a vacation home in Fort Lauderdale that became their permanent home when they retired in 2017. Darwin loved the warm weather, outdoor activities, and lack of snow most of all.

Darwin’s deep love of David, travel, art, food, wine, and sports rounded out his remarkable life. His collection of friends with unique personalities, styles, and abilities proves how much Darwin valued and appreciated the differences that exist in the world.

He was preceded in death by his father Gerna Lee Lookingbill, mother Eleanor (Bill) Wendlandt, brothers Dwight and Dennis Lookingbill, sister Colleen Lookingbill, sister-in-law Ruth Hograbe, and nephew Nathan Potter.

Darwin is survived by his husband David Potter. He is also survived by brothers David (Julie Spalla) Lookingbill, Dean (Mary) Lookingbill, Duane Lookingbill; brother-in-law Dennis (Lucy) Potter; stepsiblings John (Dianne) Wendlandt, William (Ramona) Wendlandt, Ann Silberman; nieces Wendy (Brandon) Carlson, Anna (Joel) Steele, Rachel (Davis) Weyent, Rebecca (Grant) Winters, Emily Silberman, Jessica Potter (Jonathan O’Neill), Erin (John) Lafferty; and nephew Derek (Alanta) Lookingbill, along with many grandnieces and grandnephews.

Fonte/Source: https://law.stanford.edu/stanford-lawyer/articles/darwin-lookingbill-jd-80-1955-2022/