PRESQUE ISLE, Maine – Jack E. Duncan, 93, passed away peacefully September 20, 2018 following a brief illness. He was born in Presque Isle on April 24, 1925 to Beecher and Vivian (Howlett) Duncan.
Jack was educated in Westfield and Presque Isle schools and helped on his family’s farm during the summers. Following graduation from Presque Isle High School in 1942, Jack attended Husson College in Bangor for a year and then entered the Army and served on Okinawa. After WWII, Jack returned to Husson College and graduated in 1948. He then attended Bentley School of Accounting in Boston, where he graduated in 1950. Jack worked as a bookkeeper at Maine Public Service Company for five years. In 1955, he began working as a civilian accountant at Presque Isle Air Force Base and then Loring Air Force Base. After retiring from civil service, he worked for Casco Bank as a courier for seven years.
Jack married Janet Snowman of Caribou in 1952 and they enjoyed a happy life together for almost 61 years before Janet passed away in 2013. Jack and Janet moved from their home on the Houlton Road into Leisure Village in Presque Isle in 2006. He was an active member of the Grant Memorial Methodist Church and served as its treasurer until his 80th birthday. He also was a proud member of the American Legion and enjoyed assisting with the holiday flag displays. Jack loved camping, canoeing and the outdoors in general, and he climbed Mt. Katahdin a dozen times. In 1952, he built a log cabin in the woods near the family farm in Westfield, which he visited often. Jack and Janet traveled widely through the U.S. and Europe, and he had a remarkable memory for details of these trips. He also loved music of many kinds, especially fiddle tunes, and enjoyed listening to the fiddlers in Perth-Andover, N.B., in their Wednesday night sessions.
Jack took great pride in his family’s accomplishments. He is survived by daughters Jane Cary and husband, Michael, of Wilmington, Vermont; Ellen Mitchell and husband, Kevin, of Geneva, New York; and Anne Dicker and husband, Roger, of Westfield; grandchildren, William Cary and wife Ella; Katherine Cary Sandak and husband, Steve; Dianne Mitchell and husband, Alex Russell; and Dorothy Mitchell; Rachel Dicker Fowler and husband, Matthew; Deidre Dicker Braley and husband, Ethan; four great-grandchildren; brother and sister-in-law, Gerald and Betty Duncan; sister-in-laws Barbara White and husband Seth, and Mary Snowman; brother-in-law, David Snowman; and several cousins with whom he stayed close. His parents, his wife Janet, and his brother, Carl predeceased Jack.
A funeral service celebrating Jack’s life will be held at 1pm on Sunday, September 30, 2018, at Grant Memorial United Methodist Church, 79 Fleetwood St., Presque Isle, with Pastor Christopher Dare officiating. Calling hours will be held September 29 from 2-4 pm at the Duncan-Graves Funeral Home, 30 Church St., Presque Isle. A reception at the church will immediately follow the funeral service, followed by interment at Fairmount Cemetery, Presque Isle. Contributions in Jack’s memory may be made to Grant Memorial United Methodist Church Scholarship Fund, 79 Fleetwood St., Presque Isle, ME 04769. Messages of condolence and memories may be shared through www.duncan-graves.com.
