Yolo County CA Obituary Project Obituaries.....DUNCAN , William E. "Bill"  November 21 2002
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Peggy B. Perazzo pbperazzo@comcast.net July 17, 2004, 12:41 am

"The Davis Enterprise," Tuesday, November 26, 2002
William E. Duncan

William E. "Bill" Duncan died at his home in Davis on Nov. 21, 2002, at the age
of 86. He was born Aug. 31, 1916, in Woodland to Eva (Chadwick) and Howard
Duncan. The vast majority of his life was spent in Yolo County with the
exception of a few years spent in Sacramento and the Monticello Valley.

He graduated from Winters High School in 1935 as class valedictorian. On Feb. 1,
1943, he and Alecia R. "2-D" Conard were married. Twenty-two days later he
entered the Army Air Corps. He served in World War II as a B-17 "Flying
Fortress" pilot Instructor and eventually was assigned to a B-29 Group prior to
the end of the war.

Upon returning from military service, he and his wife settled in Winters.
Starting with a tractor and a disc, they developed and continued a successful
farming operation in the Winters area for more than 40 years. While living in
Winters, he served as a City Councilman and was an active member in numerous
organizations, including the Winters Chamber of Commerce. He was also a member
of the Elks Lodge and the Winters/Esparto Masonic Lodge, serving as Worthy
Master and eventually receiving his 50-year pin.

He was an active member of the Democratic Party and had a keen interest in
politics, particularly local politics. His increasing concern with county
politics led him to run for Yolo County supervisor in 1962. He served on the
Board of Supervisors for four terms until 1978. While a supervisor, he was a
driving force in the establishment of the Putah Creek Access Area that
effectively preserved land along Putah Creek and opened it to the public for
recreational use.

Following reapportionment of the county supervisorial districts in the early
1970s, he and his family moved to Davis, where he continued to actively support
the improvement of county facilities, including the instruction of a new Davis
library.

After his retirement from politics and farming, he and his wife traveled
extensively, during which time he pursued his interest in photography. He was
fondest of his two trips to Africa. During his second trip, he hiked to the
habitat of the highland gorilla in Rwanda where he had the opportunity to
observe their behavior. He also became a member of the Sacramento Zoological
Society. As a member he served as a zoo docent, leading local schoolchildren on
educational tours of the zoo.

In addition to his wife, he survived by their three children, George Duncan and
his wife Sandra, Thomas Duncan and his wife Judy Bean of Winters and Dana Duncan
and her husband Joseph Tursi of Alameda; four grandchildren, Brian Duncan and
his wife Karen of Dixon, Sara Bean Duncan of Winters and Joseph and Ryan Tursi
of Alameda; and two great-grandchildren, KC Mertz and Kayla Duncan of Dixon.

He is also survived by his sisters, Betty Cavaglieri and her husband John of
Davis and Lillian Potter and her husband Stewart of Folsom; two brothers-in-law,
Hardy Reddick of Dixon and George Conard of Los Molinas; as well as numerous
nieces and nephews.

It was Duncan's request to be cremated and his family is also honoring his
request that no funeral be held. Arrangements are under the direction of the
Davis Funeral Chapel.


Additional Comments:
Submitted with the permission of the "The Davis Enterprise," 315 G Street,
Davis, CA 95616.

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