Ned White Duncan

We are deeply saddened to share the news that Ned W. Duncan passed away on June 10, 2026, in his home in Fairhope, Alabama. Born in Prescott, Arkansas on September 7, 1942, he was 83 years old. Ned was the oldest son of Dorothy White Duncan and Edward Duncan. He was a graduate of Memphis State University and a proud Tigers fan throughout his life. As an Arkansas native, he was also a lifelong Razorback fan.

Ned served in the Army from 1962-1967 as a military policeman in Berlin, Germany. It was there he met his wife, Heidi. They were so in love they had two wedding ceremonies, one on April 15, 1966 and the second on October 5, 1966, and, as anyone who ever met them knows, remained as in love as the day they met every single day until the date of his passing.

Their only daughter, Michelle was born in January 1967, and shortly thereafter Ned was honorably discharged from the Army and he and his new family moved to Memphis, Tennessee where he completed his college degree at Memphis State. He also worked for the Kroger Corporation and a number of other employers while completing his degree. He graduated in 1970 and, after a brief stint in Atlanta, Georgia, Ned and his family returned to his roots in Arkansas and settled in Prescott in 1972. There, after obtaining his teaching certificate from Henderson State University, Ned taught and coached countless generations of students in his hometown. Among other subjects, he taught vocational education and computer education. He was instrumental in encouraging his school district to add computer education to the curriculum – one of the first to do so in the state. He taught hundreds of students the practical skills they needed to become successful throughout their lives and remains a beloved figure by all who were fortunate enough to have him as their teacher. He also coached multiple high school and middle school sports. An extremely accomplished athlete himself (prior to enlisting in the Army he was offered tryouts with professional teams in both football and baseball), he was a tremendously positive influence on student athletes for over two decades in his hometown.

After retiring from teaching in 1993, he embarked on a second career. He and Heidi traveled all over the country while Ned worked as an independent contractor in both the telecommunications and oil and gas industries for another 20 years. They lived in many different states, including Nevada, Indiana, West Virginia and New York. He was successful in assisting major telecommunications companies install fiber optic cable throughout the more rural areas of the Western United States and, when he moved from the telecommunications industry to the oil and gas industry, he was successful in helping many major oil and gas companies procure the rights-of-way necessary to install pipelines to keep the country’s energy supplies flowing efficiently. A life-long student, he enjoyed traveling the country and living in and learning about the different regions of the nation.

In 2013, he formally retired and he and Heidi relocated to Shelbyville, Tennessee where they enjoyed living for several years. Ned was always an avid golfer – he regularly played golf recreationally and competitively when living in Arkansas. In retirement, Ned and Heidi enjoyed playing golf in the Shelbyville area and elsewhere. They traveled frequently to see their daughter and two grandchildren as well as to Europe and other interesting locations. After enduring one too many ice storms in Tennessee, they decided to head further south to a warmer climate and settled in Fairhope, Alabama, where they enjoyed the warm weather, walks by the lovely Mobile Bay and the fun eclectic downtown area.

An avid reader, Ned made sure to find the local library in every town he ever lived and would become a regular patron. He read thousands of books over the course of his long life and instilled a love of reading in many of his students as well as his family members. He was also a serious numismatist, collecting and selling hundreds of valuable coins over the years. He had a deep knowledge of both US and international coins and the tightly knit coin collecting community will miss his encyclopedic knowledge of numismatics.

He deeply loved and valued all of his family and friends. He was always quick with an encouraging word or insightful comment and would always provide a shoulder to cry on or a helping hand to anyone in need. He will be sorely missed by all who had the good fortune to know him.

He is survived by his wife, Heidi, his daughter, Michelle, his son-in-law, Jeffrey Bergman, his two grandsons, Edward (Ted) and James, his sister, Charlotte and brother-in-law Tony Chrestman and brother, Michael Duncan, one nephew, two nieces and four grand-nieces and one grand-nephew.

In lieu of flowers, please send a donation in his memory to the Veterans of Foreign Wars (Donate to the Veterans of Foreign Wars) or the National World War II Museum (Give | The National WWII Museum | New Orleans).