William Savage Duty, Jr.'s Obituary
A resident of the Springs, W.S. Duty, Jr. passed away peacefully on June 14, at age 101, with his four children and a grandson at his side. Active until the end, he went to sittercize class every morning, played bridge many afternoons, went to captioned movies every evening and church every Sunday. He also enjoyed doing Sudoku puzzles, reading large-print books, and sharing jokes with everyone he met.A favorite biblical injunction was “Be fruitful and multiply.” He and his beloved wife of 72 years, Phyllis Morrison Duty, practiced what they preached, leaving four children, nine grandchildren, and fifteen great-grandchildren, all of whom are blessed to have known and loved him.Bill grew up in Winchester, Kentucky, and graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire in 1936. He graduated from the University of Kentucky in 1940 with a degree in agriculture and began farming the family land. After serving in the U.S. Army Air Corps for five years during World War 2, he returned to Winchester and resuming farming.In Kentucky, he was a member of the Rotary Club, an elder in the First Christian Church, and President of the Little League. He served as a director of Winchester Federal Savings and Loan and two terms on the Clark County Board of Education, including several years as chair. He played a vital role in the integration of the schools after Brown v Board of Education. After his retirement, Bill and Phyllis enjoyed traveling throughout the world. They moved to Oakmont when it opened in 2000 and lived there together until Phyllis died in March 2016. They were faithful members of the Sanibel Congregational United Church of Christ.Memorials may take the form of contributions to Hope Hospice, 9470 HealthPark Circle, Fort Myers, FL 33908; Sanibel Congregational United Church of Christ, 2050 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel, FL 33957; or First Christian Church, 24 East Hickman St., Winchester, KY 40391.A memorial service is planned for February 2020 at the Village Church.Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Fort Myers Memorial Gardens Funeral Home, 1589 Colonial Blvd., Fort Myers, FL 33907, 239-936-0555. Online condolences may be offered at: www.fortmyersmemorial.com.
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