More detail on this person: James E. Duncan
passed away peacefully on June 16 at his home in
San Jose, CA. with family by his side. Born in
bishop, CA to Emery and Joyce Feste Duncan, he
was the oldest of five siblings. Drafted into
military service in 1966, he was commissioned as
an officer in the U.S. Army in 1967 and served in
the Vietnam War. A distinguished helicopter pilot,
Jim earned multiple Commendation Medals, Air
Medals and a Bronze Star for his repeated aerial
support of combat missions.
Jim met his wife, Elaine Watkins, while serving as
a flight instructor at Ft. Wolters, TX. After an
honorable discharge as a Captain in 1972, they
married and moved to California where he
completed his degree at CSU Northridge. Their
family has resided in the Evergreen area of San
Jose since 1989.
He is survived by his wife of 40 years, Elaine;
his son, Todd (Renee) Duncan; his daughter Staci
(Mark) O'Brien; five grandchildren; four siblings
and thirteen nieces and nephews.
Memorial services will be held at the Villages
Golf and Country Club, Vineyard Center, on
Saturday, June 30, at 10:30 am. Donations in Jim's
memory may be sent to Hospice of the Valley,
4850 Union Avenue, San Jose, CA 95124.
Published in San Jose Mercury News/San Mateo
County Times on June 24, 2012
This information was last updated 05/18/2016
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Date posted on this site: 03/10/2024
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