Duane Raymond Kerr

peacefully on Thursday, September 11, 2014 in Hanford at the age of 68 surrounded by

family and friends.

Duane was born in Flint, Michigan on July 3, 1946 to Gilbert and Florence (Frownfelter) Kerr.

He grew up in Flint where he attended local schools and while still in high school he took a

nighttime assembly line job at GM so he could buy his first car; his strong work ethic went

way back. He later entered the U.S. Navy and served during the Vietnam War.

After his honorable discharge from the Navy he settled in Hanford and married Jeannie

Veatch (deceased) whose family owned the local A&W. Duane, in typical fashion, gladly

tinkered with and kept everything in that old A&W running for decades to help his in-laws

along. He briefly worked for Foremost Dairy and Lockheed before accepting a position as a

process controls engineer with Contadina Foods (Del Monte) in Hanford, retiring in 2006 after

35 years.

Not one to remain idle, Duane also obtained his broker's license and worked as a certified

financial planner during his 35 year tenure at Del Monte. Upon his retirement from Del Monte

he kept active as a broker and financial advisor at Diversified Securities in Visalia.

Duane loved and was loved by his numerous friends and co-workers and was known for his

generosity, practical jokes and fantastic sense of humor. He was a truly joyful guy with a work

ethic outpaced only by his devotion to friends and family. Not being culinarily inclined he was

a regular at the local Taco Bell, Long John Silvers and nutty donut shop! Fish and Chips and

a day at the coast were his ultimate favorites. Duane loved spending free time at his cabin

retreat above California Hot Springs where he hiked and was an observer of Mother Nature in

all her glory.

Duane is survived by his sister Jennell Matthews of Holly, Michigan, his nephew, Dr. Terry

Matthews and wife Catherine along with his grandnephew Cole Hardy Matthews of Lansing,

Michigan and three aunts; Norene and Jack Daly of Phoenix, Arizona, Delores Frownfelter of

Holly Michigan and Chris Raby of Delta, Colorado. Three special nieces, Christy Dobbs

of Hanford, Jill Hardy of Lansing, Michigan, and Christy (Lommen) Bigley of Rocklin,

California and many loved cousins across the country.

There will be no formal services. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.

Duane will be greatly missed by all he touched during his life and his many, many friends who

were his extended family.

In lieu of flowers anyone wishing to donate in his name can find a link online to the Southern

Poverty law Center, one of his favorite charities