Duane Wild
d. July 25, 2021
Duane Edward Wild, aka "Pops" passed away July 25, 2021, at the age of 84. He was born January 10, 1937 in Monroe, Wisconsin to Edward J. and Edna M. Wild. The family moved to Blanchardville, Wisconsin and then to Freeport, Illinois. Duane worked on the farm and at odd jobs but one of his favorite jobs was working as a Soda Jerk (server) at the Union Dairy in Freeport, Illinois. He was continually sharing fond memories with his children and grandchildren.
At the young age of 18, Duane enlisted in the U.S. Navy. His career with the Navy spanned 20 years and took him to many places. He was trained as an aviation technician and quickly joined the ranks as an instructor. He taught at Imperial Beach, CA, Memphis, TN and Jacksonville, FL. One of his many tours took him to Blackbushe, Hants, England where he met the love of his life, Valerie Peters. It was about June 1960 and Valerie had just returned from a trip to Spain. She wore a black and white polka dot dress which caught the eyes of this young sailor. They married in 1961 and until his last breath, he often reminisced of this first encounter with his beloved Val.
With his new bride at his side, they traveled with the Navy to so many places and made life-long friends wherever they landed. (Thank you, Larry for being such a great best friend). The newlyweds did not waste anytime starting their family: Mark was born in Maidstone, Kent, England and Scott in Memphis, TN. He loved his boys, coaching them in little league and teaching them to fish and camp.
His last tour was in Guam, and he retired to Jacksonville, FL in 1974. Shortly after his retirement from the U.S. Navy, he took a job in aviation electronics at the NAS base. He loved his job and was well-liked by others. He often brought enlisted sailors home to have one of Valerie's home-cooked meals. After 21 years as an aviation technician, he retired and started an antique stall with his wife. They combined their names, and it was called "DuVal"! They loved garage, church and estate sales where they would purchase all their treasures. Duane was a great bargainer and could walk away with little spent but so many goodies! They loved their travels to Clearwater and Bradenton, Florida to visit their friends and to collect inventory for their antique stall.
Duane loved to work in his garage, creating all kinds of woodwork and stained glass. He was a self-made handy man and was always busy with projects. He enjoyed metal detecting and volunteering his time with the Fleet Reserve. Duane loved spending time with his family, especially his grandchildren. He created family traditions with oyster stew on Christmas Eve and good old corn meal mush for Christmas breakfast.
He is survived by his beloved wife, Valerie, sister Beverly, (sister Delores predeceased him), sons Mark (Vicky), Scott (Jill), grandchildren, Caitlin, William, Erin and Andrew, and his dog Buddy.
Pops, you have a left a giant hole in our hearts but your legacy of love and the family lives on forever. YES, we can believe that a farm boy from Wisconsin became such a fine husband, father and grandfather!
Services will be held at the Jacksonville National Cemetery located at 4083 Lannie Road, Jacksonville, FL 32218 on Friday, August 13, 2021 at 11:00 am.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make a donation in Duane's memory to Community Hospice & Palliative Care, 4266 Sunbeam Road, Jacksonville, FL 32257 or at www.communityhospice.com/give/
At the young age of 18, Duane enlisted in the U.S. Navy. His career with the Navy spanned 20 years and took him to many places. He was trained as an aviation technician and quickly joined the ranks as an instructor. He taught at Imperial Beach, CA, Memphis, TN and Jacksonville, FL. One of his many tours took him to Blackbushe, Hants, England where he met the love of his life, Valerie Peters. It was about June 1960 and Valerie had just returned from a trip to Spain. She wore a black and white polka dot dress which caught the eyes of this young sailor. They married in 1961 and until his last breath, he often reminisced of this first encounter with his beloved Val.
With his new bride at his side, they traveled with the Navy to so many places and made life-long friends wherever they landed. (Thank you, Larry for being such a great best friend). The newlyweds did not waste anytime starting their family: Mark was born in Maidstone, Kent, England and Scott in Memphis, TN. He loved his boys, coaching them in little league and teaching them to fish and camp.
His last tour was in Guam, and he retired to Jacksonville, FL in 1974. Shortly after his retirement from the U.S. Navy, he took a job in aviation electronics at the NAS base. He loved his job and was well-liked by others. He often brought enlisted sailors home to have one of Valerie's home-cooked meals. After 21 years as an aviation technician, he retired and started an antique stall with his wife. They combined their names, and it was called "DuVal"! They loved garage, church and estate sales where they would purchase all their treasures. Duane was a great bargainer and could walk away with little spent but so many goodies! They loved their travels to Clearwater and Bradenton, Florida to visit their friends and to collect inventory for their antique stall.
Duane loved to work in his garage, creating all kinds of woodwork and stained glass. He was a self-made handy man and was always busy with projects. He enjoyed metal detecting and volunteering his time with the Fleet Reserve. Duane loved spending time with his family, especially his grandchildren. He created family traditions with oyster stew on Christmas Eve and good old corn meal mush for Christmas breakfast.
He is survived by his beloved wife, Valerie, sister Beverly, (sister Delores predeceased him), sons Mark (Vicky), Scott (Jill), grandchildren, Caitlin, William, Erin and Andrew, and his dog Buddy.
Pops, you have a left a giant hole in our hearts but your legacy of love and the family lives on forever. YES, we can believe that a farm boy from Wisconsin became such a fine husband, father and grandfather!
Services will be held at the Jacksonville National Cemetery located at 4083 Lannie Road, Jacksonville, FL 32218 on Friday, August 13, 2021 at 11:00 am.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make a donation in Duane's memory to Community Hospice & Palliative Care, 4266 Sunbeam Road, Jacksonville, FL 32257 or at www.communityhospice.com/give/
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