Kenneth Allen Duke

Kenneth Allen Duke, 68, of Jupiter, FL went home to be with the Lord on this past Friday. He was beloved by his family and friends and will be sorely missed as the “go-to” guy for all business and life-related questions in the family. He was a believer and attended First Baptist Church of West Palm Beach for several years.

Ken was a lifetime resident of West Palm Beach and a 6th generation Floridian. He graduated from Forest Hill High School (Class of ’66). He attended Florida State University, served in the US Navy and subsequently went into the real estate industry in 1971. He has served in a variety of capacities including management, residential and commercial sales, leasing, property management, mortgage brokerage and acquisition management. As a native of the area, Ken has seen and been involved with the dynamic growth of the area and Palm Beach County as a real estate professional and business leader.

His latest endeavor was as a broker for Illustrated Properties, and prior to that he served as a Senior Broker at Reichel Realty and Investment from 2005 to 2014. Before Reichel Realty, he was Vice President of acquisitions for a Chicago-based property management company analyzing and recommending retail shopping center purchases for the firm. Before his short stent in Chicago, he was the CEO of Regional Multiple Listing Service, serving the Palm Beach and St. Lucie County Realtors for 10 years. Prior to that, Ken was the Broker/Owner of Century 21 Palm Glades Real Estate and Shelter, Inc., residential and commercial real estate firms respectively.

Ken has served as an expert witness and consultant in real estate legal cases, served on the Governor’s Task Force on Title Insurance, served as President of the local Association of REALTORS® and received recognition as the 1989 REALTOR® of the year for that organization. He has also served on Palm Beach County Task Forces dealing with real estate issues. He was currently serving on the Palm Beach County Business Development Board’s Business Recruitment Committee.

As a member of many community business and charitable organizations, including ARC, Boynton Beach and Delray Chambers of Commerce, Buyers and Sellers Club of the Palm Beaches, National Association of REALTORS®, Florida Association of REALTORS®, and Central Palm Beach County Association of REALTORS®, Ken’s involvement in the community was evident. He held many positions of leadership within those organizations.

He is survived by his loving wife of 47 years, Pamela (Northern) Duke, and their children, Ken (Denise) Duke, Tara (Steve) Nickerson of Bethany, IL, Russell (Shanna) Duke, Angie Duke, Debbie Duke, and Jackie (Matt) Feaganes, as well as 10 beautiful grandchildren: Caleb, Jillian and Aubrey Duke, Ashlyn (Kory) Nickerson Henke, Cameron and Gavin Nickerson, Michael and Kaylee Duke, and Macy Feaganes. He is also survived by his sister Elaine (Jack) Haugan of WPB and brother, Terry Duke of LaBelle, FL and many close cousins and family. A memorial service will be held Wednesday at 10:30 a.m at Memorial Presbyterian Church, 1300 S. Olive Avenue in West Palm Beach 33401. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make a donation to the Memorial Presbyterian Church in Ken’s name.