Jesse M. Duke

Jesse Duke had learned early on in life that material possessions matter little and that family comes first. Jesse was an honest, reliable and compassionate man who took every opportunity to enjoy life. He had a great sense of humor, a life full of adventures, a strong work ethic and an unending love for his family. As the United States was celebrating a time of temporary peace and prosperity between the two world wars, Jesse Wesley Duke and his wife, Carrie Ann (Pridey), had a celebration of their own with the birth of their son, Jesse Monroe, on January 4, 1924, in Charlestown, Tennessee. Jesse had a very large family; he was the sixth of ten children, plus his father had three children from a previous marriage. Sadly, two of his siblings died at a young age, and his mother had a stroke when he was only six. Jesse was just a young boy when he got malaria and was out of school for two years. He eventually left school after the third grade to work full-time with his father. It is said that Jesse grew up in a "shack" in the "hollers on Horse Creek near Burnt Church, Tennessee." The "shack" was very primitive and had no electricity, running water or windows, only shutters to keep the wind out. Their chickens lived under the floorboards and they could watch them running around. Jesse's father was a master of many trades; he worked in the foundries, as a sharecropper and a logger, with a little bootlegging on the side. Jesse inherited his strong work ethic from his father, and it wasn't long before he was working in the share crop fields and driving the mules. Jesse also drove the log truck, albeit on two wheels and very fast. But that wasn't all, Jesse had modified the truck, taking the muffler off, so now everyone could hear him coming around the "holler" from miles away, and get safely out of his way! Jesse proudly served in the U.S. Army during World War II, and was stationed in Papua New Guinea, where he worked in the motor pool. This job was meant for Jesse, and he loved every minute of it. He chauffeured many generals in his time and had many great stories he could share of his adventures there. It was also during this time that Jesse met his first wife, Nola Jewell. One weekend while he was in Savannah, Tennessee, Jesse had made a date with three women for the same evening. As he drove into town, he saw them all standing together on the corner, and just kept cruising. That fateful night, he met Nola and they were later married. In 1948, the couple moved to Muskegon, Michigan, where they welcomed the birth of their first child, son Monroe Edward. Over the next few years, the family of three moved back and forth between Tennessee and Muskegon a few times. In 1950, their daughter, Joyce, was born "up in the hills" of Hohenwald, Tennessee, followed three years later, by their daughter, Ruth, who was born back in Muskegon, where Jesse was working with his brother, Ernie, at Ernie's gas station. He then took a job at Enterprise Brass, where he worked for 38 years before retiring. Jesse was highly skilled in his job, and even though the foundry had many high tech testing machines, Jesse relied on his senses, feeling the dirt to judge the moisture content, or taste it and know what was missing in the mixture. Unfortunately, Jesse and Nola ended their marriage in 1957, and the kids remained with Nola. Jesse would find love again when he met Vivian Scott, and they were happily married on November 22, 1958. Vivian was a country singer, who was often featured on the country music show called "Green Valley Jamboree" televised on Channel 3. Jesse and Vivian enjoyed many activities together, including belonging to the CB Club. They loved chatting on their CBs with other CBers, and sometimes if their channel got skipped, they could talk to people as far away as Jamaica or Hawaii. The couple was big campers too, and loved camping out in their motor home, particularly at the VFW campground. Jesse made sure to get back to Tennessee as often as possible, and they took a few trips back there in their motor home. Jesse never lost his "southern" accent over the years, and if someone asked him "where you from?" he didn't hesitate a minute to tell a story of his childhood in Tennessee. Both he and Vivian were also big dog lovers, and were very fond of their dogs, Nikki and Bobby. Jesse loved to go snowmobiling and was able to pass on this hobby to his son, and was a member of the VFW in Fremont. About three years ago, Vivian's health began to deteriorate, but Jesse vigilantly cared for her up until his health weakened recently. Amazingly, for over 18 years, Jesse had battled a variety of cancers, and beat every one, against all odds. One of the most glorious days in Jesse's life, and his family's, was the day he took Jesus in his life and was saved. For many years, his family had been praying for him, hoping that he would find that heavenly path, and finally, "God talked to him." Jesse was baptized on July 1st in Muskegon River and took his rightful place as a member of Cedar Creek Covenant Church. He loved his pastor, Pastor Dick Mead, who helped the couple over the last few years and had really reached out to him. Jesse also became involved with the Wednesday Morning Men's Breakfast Group at the church. His family lovingly said, "Jesse was always a happy person and we know he is happy now!" He will be deeply missed. Jesse Monroe Duke, age 83, of Twin Lake, MI, went home to meet the Lord on January 18, 2007. He is survived by his wife, Vivian M. Duke; son, Monroe Edward (Helen) Duke of Grant; 2 daughters, Joyce Naylor of Fremont, and Ruth (George Watson) Puckett of Sparta; 9 grandchildren: Regina (Patrick) Johnson of Fennville, Robin (Dan) Johnson of Fennville, Angela Owens of Grant, Jason Richards of Fremont, David (Andrea) Richards of Iuka, MS, Anita Richards of Belmont, MS, Tom Naylor of Fremont, Donald Loncki of Savannah, TN, Makaleb Watson of Sparta; 11 great-grandchildren; sister, Ruby Franks of Nashville, TN; brother, Horace "Buddy" (Gladys) Duke of Pleasant View, TN; special sister-in-law, Eleanor Anderson of North Muskegon; special nieces and nephew, Sheila, Marcia and Philip. A service will be held for Jesse on Monday, January 22, at 1:00 p.m. at Clock Life Story Funeral Home - Muskegon, with Pastor Dick Mead officiating. Interment at Sunrise Memorial Gardens. A time of visitation will be on Monday, from 12:00 p.m. until the time of service at Clock Life Story Funeral Home - Muskegon. Memorial contributions may be made to Cedar Creek Covenant Church. Please visit www.lifestorynet.com where you may share a memory of Jesse and sign the online guestbook.