Lawrence Duncan

Lawrence Edward Duncan August 27, 1939 - October 18, 2021 Lawrence Edward Duncan, 82, passed away on October 18, 2021 after a short illness. Below is his obituary, which he wrote shortly before he passed. I was born in Lancing, Tennessee on August 27, 1939 to Edna Earl and Elmer Arvil Duncan. (On the 1st of September, 1939, Hitler invaded Poland and started World War II). Shortly after I was born my mother, became very ill and evidently it was not uncommon in that day for a doctor to tell a person, "Go West young man." So, my father loaded a 1938 Chevy 2/door with my mother my two brothers, my sister and myself and headed West. Being a logger by trade, Dad headed for Oregon where he had heard that jobs in the timber industry were there to be had. The family drove into Baker City, Oregon and found their home - this was mid-1940. So, I grew up in Baker, attended school and graduated from Baker Sr. High in June 1958. I worked until December and then joined the U.S. Army. I reported to Ft. Ord, California for Basic Training just after New Year's, 1959. Then the next stop was Ft. Gordon, Georgia for Signal school, learning to install telephones, phone cable, make repairs, etc. I graduated from there the lst of July and was sent to Orleans, France where I had a great job, bought a French car and toured around every chance I could get. I came back to Baker in March of 1962 and went to work for a chemical lime company. I married Mary Alice Payne in 1963 and two children were born from that union, Troy and Patrick. In 1966, I moved to Kennewick, Washington and went to work for the Kennewick Police Department. This career lasted 25 years, and I retired as a Sergeant in 1992. Mary had passed in November of 1981. In 1984, I married Bonnie Lee Richmond, and this marriage ended in divorce in 1998. After retiring from Kennewick PD, I went to work for the Benton County Coroner's office in 1994 as a deputy coroner and retired from there in 2004. In 1999, I met Lucille Marie Verdugo, and after a long loving relationship, we got married in 2009. In 2010 Lucille and I left Washington state and moved to Redmond, Oregon. We stayed in Oregon until 2018 when Lucille retired, at which time we moved to Las Cruces, NM. I am preceded in death by my parents, my brothers, Durward, Bernard, Dennis, my sister Vivian and my son Troy. I have requested cremation, and no services will be held.