|
Duane Louis Connell
October 9, 1951 -April 6, 2006
I love my baby brother so much!!!!
He had a heart of Gold, giving and loving. He was a private man. "We all weren't raised the same way, so get along with folks" was a special request he made to me a few days before he passed. He loved his family. He loved the Weeping Willow tree; growing sugar cane; making syrup with family and friends; a cook out to be remembered; BBQ, home grown greens, beans, soda drinks, other dishes that folks would bring; creating things and "makings things and ideas work". He loved to play the piano and other instruments. He loved the nature of Ohio where our Mom was from.
Pastor Jim Weiss, Chrustian & Missionary Alliance church, Alliance Church of Leesburg, near Leesburg High School, was a positive influence for Duane. This was Duane's church family. So if you have a need or need to talk, call 787-7806.
This is what his son Adam selected for remembering his Dad:
A Loving Father
Tender and Kind
What a beautiful memory
You left behind
Adam was 14, Duane was 54 when he went to be with the Lord, after a short and horrific battle with lung cancer.
Folks, please don't smoke!!
The above was written by Duane's sister, Barbara Connell Stegall.
|
Gregory Kim Collins (1970)
The above picture is of Duane and myself in one of his creations. To the best of my memory it was a 55 Ford, flat head 8, shortened frame. We had a lot of fun driving around Leesburg in it.
Duane was a very special person who was also a very good friend.
We met sometime in 1964 during six grade when my family moved to Leesburg from Lakeland. We rode the school bus together and it just seems like we were friends from the very beginning.
I have many fond memories of things Duane and I did while growing up, some of which were not very smart (wading in the swamp behind his house cutting cypress knees, seeing how fast our cars would go on Picciola Rd, being stopped by Leesburgs finest for driving to fast around Leapers Drive-In, trying to catch rattlesnakes to take to Ross Allen, etc). All these things are very mild by todays standards but we lived in a different and more innocent time. After graduation we went our own way.
During my career in the Air Force, we continued to stay in touch, mostly when I was home on leave or I would send him the occasional picture from someplace I had been.
After I retired from the Air Force and moved to Wildwood, it was like nothing had changed in our friendship except we were older and had families.
Duane was extremely smart, especially with mechanics but I think his greatest gift was that of being a father to his son Adam. Duane was a very kind and gentle person which was especially evident when he was with Adam. From an early age, Duane was teaching Adam how to do things around the shop and before Adam became a teenager, he was more accomplished around a machine shop than most grown men. Adam was also taught responsibility and respect. I don't question God's motives but it's sad that God felt it necessary to take Duane from us when he did. But, there is one thing for certain, Adam is his daddys son.
Adam and I had lunch together last year and Duane would be proud. Even with the hardship of losing his father, Adam finished school, has a good job, and more importantly, dreams and aspirations of doing bigger things in his life.
I know this life is just a temporary stopping point in our journey to the final Judgement and that someday Duane and I will be able renew our friendship.