Wilton Duncan, Jr.

Wilton Duncan, Jr, was born November 11, 1932, in Donna, Texas. He passed away Saturday, August 10th at a health care facility in Carrabelle, FL. The family moved from Montgomery, AL to Panama City, Florida in June of 1941. His father managed C.C. Moore Construction Company, an asphalt paving company that was building the runways for Tyndall Air Force Base when war was declared on December 8th, 1941. The company also built the fields at Eglin AFB in Ft Walton Beach and Keesler AFB in Biloxi, Mississippi. They also built a special short runway below Ft. Walton where Jimmy Doolittle was training a special group of bomber pilots how to take off from an Aircraft Carrier. Wilton graduated from Bay High School in Panama City, where he played on the basketball team and was Captain of the golf team. In his junior year, he was Vice-President of the student body. He then attended the University of Florida and graduated in 1955 with a degree in Business Administration. He is a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity. When asked, he would always say he was a Gator, Nole, and War Eagle. The latter because his uncle was President of Auburn for 15 years. In 1955, he married his childhood sweetheart, Ethel Steadman of Panama City. They have 4 sons, Wilton III “Bill” (Anne), David, Clay, and Jim (Becky). They have 7 grandchildren and 3 great- grandchildren. Ethel passed away in 2019. Many men envied Wilton because he had a wife that loved to duck hunt, bass fish and play golf. She actually had two holes in one, a feat Wilton never achieved. In 1966 Wilton moved his family to Tallahassee where he served on Governor Claude Kirk’s Staff for 4 years and eventually was Director of the Division of Economic Opportunity for the State of Florida. In 1969, under the reorganization of state government and, while still a member of the Governor’s staff, he served as interim Secretary of the newly formed Department of Community Affairs. After leaving the governor’s office in 1971, he established the North Florida Housing Development Corporation, a federally funded program to assist low and moderately low-income families in obtaining new housing across all of North Florida. In the late 60’s, he helped found the Tallahassee chapter of Ducks Unlimited and served as Chairman for the first two years. Wilton was first invited to join Rotary International in Panama City in 1956 and was able to continue in Rotary when he moved to Tallahassee. He was President of the Rotary Club of Tallahassee in 1987-88, was honored as a Paul Harris Fellow and was the recipient of the prestigious Fredrick Clifton Moor Award in 1991. Wilton was an Elder in the Presbyterian Church, and he and his wife helped found Fellowship Presbyterian Church in Killearn Estates. In 1992, he and Ethel moved to Wildwood Presbyterian Church. In 1994, he formed Duncan Realty where he specialized in acreage and commercial real estate. In 2018, he retired from real estate to care for Ethel who was in failing health and died the following year. Wilton leaves behind many friends and family who he truly loved. Wilton was privately buried beside his wife in Roselawn Cemetery in Tallahassee. In Lieu of Flowers, he would like for donations to be made to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, 2361 Hylan Blvd., Staten Island, NY 10306. A memorial service celebrating Wilton’s life is scheduled for Thursday, September 12th at 11:00 o’clock in the morning at Wildwood Church, 100 Ox Bottom Road in Tallahassee. Kelly Barber and Rocky Bevis of Bevis Funeral Home (850/385-2193 or www.bevisfh.com) are assisting the Duncan family with their arrangements.

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Wilton Duncan, Jr.

November 11, 1932 - August 10, 2024