Lawrence " Larry" King Duncan

Lawrence “Larry” King Duncan, age 90, passed away on Monday, August 5, 2019 in
Chattanooga, TN.
Larry was born in Little Rock, AR in 1928. He attended Hendrix College, and continued his
education to receive a Master’s in Chemistry from the University of Oklahoma. He then
served in the Army for three years and in February of 1950 married the love of his life, Betty
Ann Mills from Jonesboro, AR.
In 1957, Larry and Betty moved to Chattanooga, TN. They were married for 65 years and
raised four children in the Stuart Heights community. Larry was a cornerstone of that
neighborhood and a faithful member of St. Luke United Methodist Church for over 50 years.
Larry worked for W.R. Grace for 35 years, first as a chemist and then as the well-respected
plant manager, retiring in 1994. He was a long-time member of the Chattanooga
Manufacture’s Association (CMA), serving as president of that impactful organization for
multiple years.
As an active member of his community, Larry gave generously of his time, volunteering for the
Chattanooga City Schools, Contact Crisis Line, Chattanooga Food Bank, Tennessee Aquarium,
and a variety of outreach activities and leadership roles through his church. He was a
member of the Kiwanis Club of Chattanooga.
Larry was an avid outdoorsman who loved camping, fishing and canoeing. He took his young
family on annual camping adventures around the country. He also organized nineteen float
trips down the scenic Buffalo River in the Ozarks of Arkansas, involving many friends and
family over three generations! It was an annual summer tradition that he planned for and
cherished every year.
Larry and Betty spent countless hours in their beautiful garden, which provided a bounty of
fresh vegetables and fruits over the years for family and friends. He was also an excellent
photographer, skilled woodworker, competitive tennis player and enjoyed both painting and
writing original poetry. There were multiple blue bird houses in their yard which produced
hundreds of baby bluebirds over many years which brought him great joy to observe and
document.
Larry and Betty loved to travel with friends, relishing many wonderful adventures in far-away
lands. As a founding member of ROMEO group (Real Old Men Eating Out), Larry enjoyed
years of monthly fellowship and learning with other retired gentlemen friends.
Larry is preceded in death by his mother Noelle Duncan Hum, his wife Betty Ann Duncan,
and his eldest son, Steve Duncan.
Larry is survived by his three children, Kenneth (Dinny) Duncan of Jacksonville, FL, Pamela
(Tony) Perticone of Atlanta, GA and David (Tracy) Duncan of Jacksonville, FL.

Grandchildren are Abby, Jason, Sam, Emily, Will, Hannah and Joseph, as well as two great-
grandchildren, Carter and Conner.

The family wishes to extend our sincere thanks to all those who were instrumental in Larry’s
care, especially Donna Mahan and Stephanie Eaves, as well as the Hospice Care Center of
Chattanooga and all the Alexian Village staff. A special recognition to Susan Whelchel, who
was his shining star and brought him such joy in his final years.

A Memorial Service with reception to follow will be held on Sunday, August 25, 3:00 PM
at St Luke United Methodist Church, 3210 Social Circle, Chattanooga.
In lieu of flowers, Memorials may be given to the Buffalo River Foundation
www.buffaloriverfoundation.org or Alzheimer’s Research at www.curealz.org