Calvin Ray Duncan

Calvin Ray Duncan, 81, left the beautiful and quiet life that he built on a verdant hillside in Madison, West Virginia on October 27, 2024. Dad was our citadel, and our broken hearts are defenseless against his absence. 

Dad's strong character was forged in the country life of Taylorville in Mingo County, and he never stopped thanking God for the gift of being raised by Kermit and Nell Duncan, a blessing he shared with his siblings Randall and Roger, both deceased, and Debbie Sasser, of Chesterfield, VA. Dad esteemed his disciplined upbringing long after his parents went to the loving arms of Jesus, and he honored his parents in the best possible way, by fiercely loving daughters Michele Duncan Bishop, of Charleston, and Amanda Duncan Legg, of Salisbury, NC. 

Though he believed his mother's cooking was nearly unparallelled, Dad managed to find the one person who could keep him happily fed when he married our mother, Nancy Cook Duncan. Many restaurants were denied his patronage during their devoted fifty-year marriage because, as he often asked, "Why would I pay money to go out when your mother is the best cook there is?" Over a shared lifetime of biscuits and baked steak with gravy and from-scratch cakes, Mom and Dad modeled perfect love and perfect partnership. 

Mom got an occasional break from the kitchen in the early years because our special place, Andy's Restaurant, welcomed the local West Virginia State Police as family. A United States Army veteran, Dad was part of a special brotherhood of troopers, and we have been touched that so many remain connected and supportive, even though Dad retired more than 33 years ago. Many have shared stories over the years about his heroic actions, but no matter what happened in the field— manhunts, wildcat strikes, prison riots, and the like-Dad sat with us at the dinner table every evening and, when asked about his workday, told us, "It was just a day." He was humble to the core. 

Dad maintained many special friendships in our tightknit hometown, and we have been loved so kindly by a community that revered him. Over many years you have employed us, watched over us, guided us, and, in these last trying times, stood in the gap for us. We are so grateful. We have benefitted immeasurably from the respect our Dad earned. Though many thought Dad would never meet anyone good enough to marry his daughters, his secret got out: The stoic titan was as kind as he was intimidating. Dave learned this when he formally asked for Michele's hand in marriage, taking a different tack than Josh did when he suggested he might whisk Amanda off for elopement. To both, Dad said, "Well, what am I supposed to say now?" He was, as always, a man of few words. 

Dad found a special camaraderie with Dave and Josh, the extroverted additions to the already boisterous family that Dad took on when he married our mom. We are certain that our silent giant of a father secretly reveled in the exuberance of family gatherings, even if he usually donned noise-cancelling headphones in a full house. He loved these aunts and uncles and cousins of ours. We are grateful for your gift of time, to him and to us. If not for Dad's devoted brothers-in-law, our dear uncles Ray Cook and Bill Cook, we may have collapsed under the weight of the world. Your fervent praying, hugs, and caregiving sustained him, our Mom, and us.

We could never prepare for this loss, but Dad provided dry runs over the years. In his quest to make the perfect homestead retreat, Dad gave us the opportunity to be by his side for near electrocutions, runaway dump trucks, and not one, but three major tractor wrecks. In the end, the peril was forgotten when he sat by the pond he crafted and surveyed the many acres he cleared with his unique brute strength. Here, he watched the world's most loved grandchildren—Jaeley, Aven, and Kelby, all of Salisbury, NC, and Maisie and Duncan, of Charleston— run freely over the paradise he made. He was the best Dad, and he was the best Poppie. The last months challenged us all, and especially him. Still, Dad never stopped proclaiming, "I'm so blessed." But we know we were the blessed ones. 

Services will begin at 2:00pm Saturday, November 2, 2024 at Handley Funeral Home in Danville, West Virginia with Pastor Ray Barker officiating. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service. 

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Alzheimer's Association of West Virginia, because when you have been given memories as wonderful as the ones Dad gave us, you should be able to cherish them forever.