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DUKE, GEORGE H. Colorado native and WWII veteran, George H. Duke III, died of natural causes at the age of 89 on November 22, 2013, at home, surrounded by family. Mr. Duke was born in Hotchkiss, Colorado in 1924, son of George H. Duke Jr., postmaster and fruit rancher from Hotchkiss, and Grace Rena McGinnis of Brush, CO. He entered CU-Boulder in 1942, but his college years were interrupted by a three-year tour of service in the Army Air Force from 1943-46. That tour concluded with a year India, where he was a radar mechanic working on the B24s being flown from Assam to China. He returned to CU-Boulder, graduating with a masters in electrical engineering in 1950. The same year, he married his sweetheart, Ellen Marie Drexel, at her home in Crawford, Colorado. She was a recent graduate in nursing from CU-Denver. He was called again to active duty for a year at Randolph Field, TX and they moved to Seguin, TX. In 1952, he accepted a position at Sandia Laboratory and moved to dry, dusty Albuquerque. He worked as a staff engineer on weapons projects for about twenty years and in about 1971, changed to security at sites around the country and occasionally in such farflung places as central Africa. He and Marie lived at first on Sandia Base and had four children. In 1960, they had a house built in the developing NE Heights, where he designed and built extensively throughout the house, shop, and garden, and particularly enjoyed gardening. He retired in 1987. They returned regularly to Hotchkiss and Crawford. They cultivated their children's interests and saw them through college educations. Mr. Duke had rare qualities admired by those who knew him. He is survived by his loving wife of 63 years; four children: Steven Duke of Renton, Washington; Jean Hafner of Albuquerque; Bill Duke of Los Angeles; Annette Leong Shadwick of Pleasant Hill, Oregon; five accomplished grandchildren; and an adored great-grandson. A graveside service will be held in at the Riverside Cemetery in Hotchkiss in August.
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