James “Duke” Posey Duke, age 85, passed away on Saturday, February 27, 2016 in Amarillo, Texas.
Burial will be held at 11:00 AM on Friday, March 4, 2016 in the Clayton Memorial Cemetery by Hass Funeral Directors of Clayton, New Mexico. Memorial services will be held at 1:00 PM on Saturday, March 5, 2016 at the San Jon United Methodist Church in San Jon, New Mexico with Gerald White Officiating.
James “Duke” Posey Duke was born on October 20, 1930 in Nara Visa, New Mexico. He was proud of his birth being on Ten, Twenty, Thirty and called that his brand of TTT. He was the seventh child of Fred B. Duke and Zella (Rowe) Duke. He graduated from Porter High School in Porter, New Mexico. After graduation he joined the National Guard and later went on active duty. He was stationed in Maryland where he met Martha Cook who became his wife on Valentines Day in 1955.
After getting out of the Army he went to work for Bell Telephone Company in Tucumcari, Clayton and Moriarty. While he was with the telephone company he conceived the idea of an electric adding machine and calculator. He built a very crude working model. His theory and idea was soon to be developed into a world changing way of math calculation.
Jim was a member of the San Jon United Methodist Church. He has been a resident of the VA Nursing Home in Amarillo, Texas for many years.
He was preceded in death by his son; Ronald Nolan Duke on August 24, 1964, 3 brothers; Ross, Beacher, Emmett and Jack Duke, his sisters; Fay Eicher, Martha Steinkruger Burke, Helen Jacobi, Bonnie Frost and Connie Lamb.
SURVIVORS:
1 DAUGHTER: Donna Warman of Hutto, Texas.
2 GRANDSONS: Matthew Duke and Taylor Warman.
2 GREAT-GRANDCHILDREN: Bradly Dawn Duke and Sebastian Robert Warman.
2 BROTHERS: Gene Duke and his wife Lita of Lubbock, Texas and Darrell Duke and his wife Shirley of Broadview, New Mexico.
1 SISTER: Jessie Clark of Phoenix, Arizona.
And several cousins, nieces and nephews.
