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Duke, Sr., James H.

February 19, 1924 –
 November 25, 2014

Obituary

James “Harold” Duke peacefully left this physical existence on Nov 25, 2014 and went to join others that have gone before him.  He was born February 19, 1924 in rural west Tennessee, the second of seven children.  They were a family of farmers and he had many stories about those years.

In 1944, he enlisted for the United States Army Air Corps.  Knowing he would be called by draft soon anyway, he decided to go ahead and volunteer. He did his basic training in Miami, Florida, and was sent to England and France.  He was back in San Antonio, Texas when he heard the news that the war was over.

Immediately after service to his country, he enrolled in college thanks to the GI bill. He attended University of Tennessee at Martin for two years, and then progressed on to University of Tennessee in Knoxville where he graduated with a degree in agriculture with teaching certification. He went to southern Indiana to teach, where he met Madonna Traylor, whom he married and was her husband for 63 years.

Teaching was not his calling, so he applied to and was accepted into Auburn University’s College of Veterinary Medicine in Auburn, Alabama, one of only two admissions from Tennessee (Tennessee did not have a vet school then).  It was also during this time he joined the Masonic Lodge.

After graduation from Veterinary school, he was involved in a few private practices but found his permanent professional home with the Federal Government, USDA branch.  His position at retirement was Assistant Federal Veterinarian for the State of Tennessee.

After he retired in 1990, he spent time with family, children, grandchildren, and doing mechanical and construction projects around the house. He had a few hobbies including wine making, woodworking, amateur ham radio, and curing country hams.  Most things he could fix or build himself since he had acquired skills with carpentry, electrical, and refrigeration projects.

He leaves behind wife Donna, son Jimi (Donna), daughter Jo (Rick) and three grandchildren.

His wishes were to be cremated and no funeral; ashes will be interred at a later date.  In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to your charity of choice on his behalf.

ARIA Cremation Service and Funeral Home

19310 Preston Road
Dallas, Texas 75252
214-306-6700

 

 

 

    Travis Lewis
    3 Dec 2014
    8:30pm

    I met Brother Duke only a couple of times, however I was raised close to his parents, who truly were model neighbors and citizens. The caption of his life shown above surely tells the All-American story. He was a faithful steward of his heritage and has now entrusted it to worthy children and grandchildren. Carry it well. Until we can meet again in a far better land, may God rest his soul.
    Travis Lewis
    PM, Cheap Valley Masonic Lodge, F&AM
    Lexington, TN 38351

    Alex C. George
    4 Dec 2014
    11:00am

    I was blessed to know James Duke Sr. thru my affliation with his son and daughter n law Jimi and Donna. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this difficult time. May he rest in peace. Love and Prayers, Alex & Donna George

    Teresa Ann Duke Holimon
    20 Dec 2014
    7:28pm

    Donna, Jimmy and Sister,
    Another sad day with his passing. I enjoyed getting to know Harold after he moved his family to the Nashville, TN area where he and Donna could attend more of the Duke family functions. I hope he and you Donna also enjoyed those times. Harold is the first of Uncle Luther and Aunt Beadie family to leave us and Harold will be missed. Very sorry for Jimmy and sister and family during this time. We (the Carlos Duke family) remembered him last weekend at our Duke family Christmas. Take care of yourselves during the upcoming holidays and winter months. Teresa Ann Duke Holimon (daughter of Van and Mary L. Duke and sister of Johnny L. Duke)

    Jo
    13 Nov 2015
    1:04pm

    Ashes interred at Dallas Veteran and Cemetary on Nov 12, 2015.

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Testimonials

R. Driver
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"Excellent customer service, they made you feel like you were their only customer. Very helpful and explained what we should expect during the process. They basically took care of our needs during this time. They contacted DFW National Cemetery for us which made it a smooth experience. Definitely will use them again."
K. Barker
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"I was amazed how professional the team at Aria Funeral Preston Dallas Texas are. They guided me through the process and my options of their services that they offered for my mother. They are compassionate, caring, calm, good listener, efficient and did an excellent job! Thank you!"
R. Woll
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"If I could give 6 stars I would. Aria made a difficult easier to deal with by basically taking care of everything in an efficient but very empathetic manner. I can speak highly enough of Dusty Martin, who helped us with all of the planning and logistics. He was incredibly understanding and helpful."
Angel M.
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"Nothing prepares you for the grief you go through when losing a child. I called this funeral home at 2:00 am broken and could barely talk. The amount of compassion and empathy they showed me immediately let me know I found the right place to cremate my son. I cannot thank them enough for their professionalism, SINCERE concern, and commitment to making sure my son was honored in the most respectful way. I hope this Funeral home values her as much as my family and I do."
McGee Family
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"Wayne and Staff, thank you for taking care of the arrangements for our mom, Exter McGee and our dad, Philip McGee. You have been great to work with during such a difficult time."
Elledge Family
Elledge Family
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"On behalf of my family, I wanted you to know how much we appreciate your handling of my husband's final arrangements. Wayne Baxter assisted & guided us through the entire process with such care & compassion. Don't know what we would have done without him! Sincerely, Colleen Elledge"
The Peterson Family
The Peterson FamilyYelp! Review - Northwest Highway 5-Stars
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"I can’t say enough about how helpful and professional Dusty Martin, the funeral director at the Aria Cremation location on NW Highway has been. From my initial call, he was kind and informative. My friend died at home while on hospice and she was picked up in about an hour after receiving the call from the hospice nurse. The person who arrived to pick her up was also very professional/respectful and allowed us to take as much time with her as we wished. When I met with Dusty the next day about arrangements, he explained the process and options available without being pushy or trying to “sell” extras. Throughout the process, he kept me informed and, for example, was careful to be certain I understood the cost of the obituary I wanted and offered some options for reducing that cost if I wished. When I stopped by for another reason and started talking about some of the problems I was having with the pictures and media I hoped to use at a memorial lunch I was planning, he not only listened patiently but offered technology advice and let me use his personal media player. I have had experience arranging cremations for four others using two other local companies, and this experience with Dusty at Aria has been by far the best one I have had."
Paula Barnes
Paula BarnesGoogle Review
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"My Daddy’s service and our family experience at Aria Northwest Highway was truly blessed. Funeral Director Dustin Martin is the kind of person that you would like to see on a more regular basis – but in his industry – you hope to not see him that often. That being said – THANK YOU DUSTIN for your unending kindness, compassion and friendship through the process. Meeting you and discussing Dallas History, Find A Grave and my Dad’s lifelong contributions to the great City of Dallas was simply wonderful! In memory of my dad James A. Dodd, Sr. – I want to personally thank you and let you know that you made everything better in that moment. Your calling to “Be There” is spot on. Aria has a one in a million guy in you! Bling Blinky of TEXAS Shout Out: God Bless You!!"
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Preston Road

“George Bush at Preston”

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“5 Miles East of Hillcrest Memorial Park / Lake Highlands”

Funeral Homes Irving Tx: Aria Cremation

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Important Information

  1. If death has occurred and or is imminent, please call the Aria location nearest you.

    PRESTON ROAD
    214.306.6700

    NORTHWEST HIGHWAY
    214.340.8008

    BELTLINE ROAD
    972.607.4400

  2. Click here to Download the Cremation Forms.
  3. Have the cremation authorization form notarized
  4. Fax the forms back to us at:
    • NW Highway
      214-340-8009
    • Preston Rd.
      972-526-7410
    • Belt Line Rd.
      972-573-1008
 

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