Charles Dale Duncan's Obituary
Charles Dale Duncan, 90, passed peacefully on May 31, 2022. We are grateful for the wonderful staff at Porta Caeli House for the heartfelt and skilled care Charles received in his last days. Although vascular dementia took him from us, we know he is happy and whole again with Jesus.
Born in 1931 to Charley Colson “Johnnie” and Bessie Lee (Kinion) Duncan, Charles was raised in Depew, OK where he learned to make anything out of whatever he had on hand, including a motorcycle made from an old washing machine motor. Charles graduated from Depew High School in 1949 and went on to study at Oklahoma A&M. From 1952-1956, Charles served in the United States Navy as an Aviation Electronics Technician and was assigned to the United States Atlantic Fleet Airship Squadron One and stationed at Naval Air Station Facility Weeksville in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. While training in Memphis, Tennessee, Charles met the love of his life, Martha Jean “Jane” Wickham. He had three helpings of her now very famous banana pudding, and she won his heart. They were married sixty-eight years at the time of his passing.
Charles received an honorable discharge from the Navy, and he and Jane moved back to Oklahoma and settled in Broken Arrow. They raised their four children: David (Joyce) of Anchorage, Alaska; Alan (Kim) of Broken Arrow; Dale (Megan) of Olathe, KS; and Susan (Scott) Nightingale of Catoosa. Charles was preceded in death by his parents, his sister, Colleen Ferguson, and one grandson, Spencer Colson Duncan, who was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2011 while serving in the US Army.
Charles spent thirty-seven years with American Airlines working as an automatic test equipment specialist. He took an early retirement, and he spent many years tinkering in his garage and traveling with Jane in their RV. Charles is survived by his beloved wife, Jane, his children and their spouses, seven grandchildren (Allison, Michael, Katelyn, Tanner, Jessica, Andrew, and Calder), their spouses, and five great-grandchildren (Havilah, Zion, Mark, Bridget, and Mathias). He leaves a legacy of a deep faith in God, a strong work ethic, and a love of his country that helped spur three of his grandchildren to serve in the United States military.
Funeral services will be held Wednesday, June 8, 2022, in the chapel at Floral Haven Funeral Home, 6500 S 129th E Ave., Broken Arrow. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to Porta Caeli House (portacaeli.org), an amazing hospice facility, or to the Spencer C. Duncan Make It Count Foundation, an organization dedicated to honoring and assisting our nation’s veterans (MakeItCountToday.org).
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to the Spencer C. Duncan Make It Count Foundation. https://makeitcounttoday.org/donate/
The visitation will be 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM, Tuesday, June 7, 2022, at Floral Haven Funeral Home.
The funeral service will be 10:00 AM, Wednesday, June 8, 2022, at Floral Haven Funeral Home Chapel.
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