
Donald Eugene Haar, 75, of Lawrence, Kansas, formerly Peoria, passed away at 9:30 p.m. on Monday, October 7, 2024 at Bridge Haven in Lawrence, Kansas. Don was born on September 6, 1949 in Burlington, IA to Ralph and Margaret (Welch) Haar. He was raised in the Monmouth area and graduated from Avon High School in 1966.
He married Linda S. Bensel on April 8, 1972, in Peoria.
After high school, Don attended the University of Illinois in Champaign and completed his degree in Engineering at Bradley University. He worked as a service engineer for Caterpillar Inc. for 39 years, serving globally and residing in Peoria, Lafayette, IN and Geneva Switzerland.
Upon retiring he consulted part-time, specializing in emission enhancements for a cleaner environment, and moved to Lawrence, Kansas. Don enjoyed gardening, sports and playing card games and croquet with family.
He is survived by one daughter, Angela Haar and one son, Aaron Haar (Megan Kepler). Also surviving is Linda Haar, two nephews and two grandchildren.
He is preceded in death by his parents and one sister, Christine (Haar) Musava.
A service will be held on Saturday, October 19, 2024, 10:30 a.m., at First United Methodist Church located at 221 E. Broadway in Monmouth, followed with a burial at Warren County Memorial Park Cemetery.
The family wishes to thank Bridge Haven and Interim Healthcare for their support and excellent care they provided to Don.
It was with great sadness that I learned of Don’s passing. Don was a very knowledgeable engineer when working in the Geneva Power systems department. We became good friends when I was a field rep. covering the Arabian Gulf. We travelled to many customers sites together which included Arabian Gulf countries and always had pleasant exchanges with each other. Some memories included a time in Pakistan when Don played Doctor and administered drops in my infected ear.
During his visits to Dubai where I was based, I took him kite buggying in the desert. He was game to try anything although one of his main passions was Country & Western music.
On another occasion I took Don, Linda and his two children for a hike in the Alps, I still have photos of this outing & indeed photos from other countries we visited, which all bring back many pleasant memories.
Don’s passing is a great loss and I send my deepest condolences to his family and friends.
Dave Lees – Tatroz, Switzerland
Linda and family so sorry for your loss. I’m sure he will be missed. May he Rest In Peace.
We are sorry for your loss. We have a lot of memories of the apartment days in Peoria.
I remember Don to be a self-sacrificing engineer who worked hard to make products successful for Caterpillar. May he rest in peace. Please accept my condolences.
My sincere condolences to Don’s family, Linda, Angela and Aaron. I worked with Don for a number of years in Cat’s Service Engineering group. He was dedicated and knew his business well. It was a pleasure working with him.