Homedale High School

Class of 1965

    Parents of Dave Duke

Owyhee Avalanche

February 10, 1989

            Thomas F. Duke III

            Funeral services were conducted at 2 p.m. Tuesday in Caldwell for Thomas Frederick Duke III, 77, with Rev. Eldon Hunter of Wilder and Pastor Clare Willcuts, chaplain of Sunnyridge Manor in Nampa, officiating. Mr. Duke died Jan. 27 at his Caldwell home.

            He was born on July 16, 1911, in the Southwest Territory near the present site of Roswell, New Mexico, to Thomas Duke II and Bertha W. Brown. The family continued on their way to Oregon. He attended schools in Klamath Falls, Ore., and studied pre-med at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas, for two years.

            He returned to Oregon where he was married to Jean Connors at Klamath Falls, and worked at a variety of jobs.

            He worked for Weyerhauser Timber Company for 16 years as a crane operator. He served in the Coast Artillery for a short time during World War II. He moved to Reno, Nev., where he worked for Sears Roebuck Co.

            Following his marriage to Marietta Douglas, he moved his family to Homedale in 1961. He purchased Helton Island in the Snake River in 1962 and the family lived there for 26 years.

            He transferred to Sears Roebuck in Caldwell as warehouse manager and retired after 14 years.

            He then worked as projectionist at Odell theaters at Nampa and Terrace drive-in theaters. He helped install projectors for Karcher Twin Theaters and became projectionist there. During this period he had been part-time custodian and later head custodian for Wilder schools.

            Following Mrs. Duke’s retirement in 1983 from teaching in the Wilder School district, the couple traveled extensively.

            They became Campground Hosts at Circle Park Campground in Bighorn Mountains in Wyoming in 1986. When Mrs. Duke suffered a heart attack in late 1986, the couple returned to Caldwell where they continued to reside.

            His survivors include his wife, Marietta of Caldwell; four daughters, Mary Elizabeth Sharp and Sally Pex, both of Oregon, Tamia Duke of California and Rebecca Cline of Nampa; eleven sons, Thomas W. and John C., both of Oregon, William L. of Washington, Michael L. of Michigan, Ralph L., Daniel D. and Jared H., all of Nevada, Timothy O. of Kansas, Shadrack F. of Homedale and Thomas F. Duke IV of Caldwell; 32 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. His youngest grandchild is Thomas F. Duke V.

            Mr. Duke was preceded in death by a son, David Ross and a daughter Paddy Jean Hanks.

Marietta Douglas Duke 

            Marietta Duke was born in 1924 and is currently living in Caldwell.