Bill G. Duncan

Bill G. Duncan, 70, of La Grande died January 25 after a long illness. Arrangements are under the direction of Loveland Funeral Chapel.

Mr. Duncan was born December 23, 1936 to Travis and Thelma Duncan in Guadalupe County, N.M. and was raised in Compton, California. His father worked as a welder in the shipyards at San Diego and his mother was a homemaker. He attended Lynwood High School in Compton and continued his education after joining the Air Force in 1955. He served mainly at Elmendorf AFB in Fairbanks, Alaska.

After leaving the service, Bill settled in Boise, Idaho, where he joined the Operating Engineers Union as a heavy equipment operator specializing in natural gas line installation. He followed the work, returning to Lake Elsinore, California, working from Local #12, then trying his hand as an independent contractor. In 1922 he injured his knee and was no longer able to work.

In 1995 Bill and his family moved from Lake Elsinore to Summerville. Divorced in 1997, he met and married Marsha Engels in 1998. He and Marsha sold their farm in Summerville and moved to La Grande in 2005. Marsha works for the Oregon Dept. of Transportation in La Grande.

Bill loved music and played several instruments, specializing in the alto saxophone. In high school, he formed an orchestra of 15 musicians with a singer that performed at many local and school functions.

Following his parents' example, Bill was active in politics from an early age. While growing up, he assisted his mother in her many supportive activities for the local Democratic Party. In 1994 Bill was elected to the Riverside County, California Water Council. He ran unsuccessfully for the Oregon Senate in 2000.

Survivors include his wife, Marsha of La Grande; daughters, Amber Robinson and Dawn Duncan, both of Madras; step-daughter, Nasrean Levin of Astoria; sister and brother-in-law, Laquita and Louie Ungeheier of Capistrano Beach, California; two nieces and numerous grandchildren, aunts and uncles. He was preceded in death by his parents in 1995.

Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice.