By Deborah Larsen
Duane Melville Duff
Duane Melville Duff was born in Highland Park, Michigan, on February 27, 1919, the son of Henry and Grace Bastian Duff. Duane grew up in Avon Township and attended Rochester High School, graduating in the class of 1936. After high school, he continued his education at Lawrence Institute of Technology, earning his degree in 1941. He then accepted a position with Western Electric in Chicago.
In December 1942, Duane enlisted in the U.S. Army. He was assigned to the Signal Corps and attended stateside technical schools before being stationed in Burma. He was released from military service in May 1946.
After the war, Duane married, started a family, and resumed his employment with Western Electric in the Chicago area. He was an electrical engineer for Western Electric for 38 years, retiring in 1979. In 1995, he moved to Sioux City, Iowa.
Duane Melville Duff died at age 78 on June 5, 1997, and was laid to rest in Sioux City, Iowa.