John Frederick Duncan

John Frederick Duncan was born on June 23, 1951 in Miami, Florida to Lewis Roy Walker “Sam” Duncan, Jr. and Doreen Gloria Marian Stanbury Duncan. John was a miracle baby born premature, weighing only 2.5 pounds at birth. He was kept alive by the love and determination of his mother and grandmother, who later would tell the story of using the oven to keep him warm during his early weeks. They always maintained that his red-headed temperament gave him the fight he needed to survive. John grew up in a military family, the son of a U.S. Navy pilot. His Dad began teaching him to fly even before he became a teenager, and he soloed on his 16th birthday. Flight was always his first love, he became a flight instructor, a pilot for private businesses, an acrobatic pilot, a test pilot and an expert in aircraft mechanics. He flew in numerous air shows, and had the honor of being the stunt pilot for the James Bond movie “Octopussy”. He was the pilot for a skydiving Co., though he was adamant that he preferred to stay in the cockpit rather than jumping out with a parachute, he did finally give in and skydive. He was beyond thrilled when he met a personal hero, famous pilot Chuck Yeager and had the pleasure of meeting many other celebrities to include John Travolta whom he almost sold a plane too. John was loved, respected and admired by his students, colleagues, friends and family-he was a subject matter expert in everything aviation, an extremely knowledgeable and talented pilot. He always stood apart from his peers and loved teaching others how to fly. He loved the adventure of flying, the challenge of difficult maneuvers, and most of all the adrenalin rush of rapid speed and elevation changes. He carried this fascination into other endeavors, at various times as a racecar driver, motorcycle rally enthusiast, and offshore powerboat racer. Among his many talents he was also an accomplished banjo player—a skill he learned from his father at an early age. He enjoyed cooking and was known amongst his family for making the best Thanksgiving dinners and skirt steaks! He had a huge heart and soft spot for animals, especially dachshunds. Baloo his beagle pup named after Disneys Talespin (pilot) was his last pet whom he adored with his whole heart. John is survived by his children, daughters Samantha Duncan, Nubia Carolina Ramos, and his son, John Duncan, Jr. He is also survived by five grandchildren… grandsons, Adrian Viney and Hayden Neal, as well as granddaughters, Gabriela Ramos, Ariel Ramos and Grace Ramos. He is also survived by his older sister, Alice, two nieces, first cousins John Engelke, Elizabeth Engelke, and Karen Fair MacNeill, as well as his first wife, Nancy Holley and his second wife Nubia Duncan. * I love you dad, always and forever thank you for being such an amazing father to me and grandfather to my children. For the awesome plane rides, our awesome Sunday and Tuesday dinners and our never ending conversations-for all our beautiful memories. Thank you for saving me dad, I will love you forever Papa John. Always Your Daughter- Carolina John Frederick Duncan passed away and regained his wings on December 7, 2024 in Lakeland, Florida. His favorite quote by which he lived by; “There are really only three types of people: those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who say, What happened”.

John Frederick Duncan

June 23, 1951 - December 7, 2024