Obituary of Duane Allyn High

Duane A. High, 93, passed away on 1/2/2021 from COVID-19. Duane was born in Shelby, Ohio, on 1/3/1927 to parents Herbert and Wilma High. He attended Shelby High School and joined the US Navy at age 17, serving in the South Pacific at the end of World War II. Upon returning to Shelby, Duane graduated from Shelby High School and married Betty Keener on September 25, 1948. Duane worked at Ohio Seamless Tube Company as an industrial engineer for over 35 years. He loved reading and learning, and took many classes at North Central State College in Mansfield, Ohio. Duane was a lay leader at the Shelby United Methodist Church and a board member of the Ohio Methodist Church Camps. An avid hiker, Duane spent many enjoyable hours on the trails in Great Smokey Mountain National Park and later in Arizona where the couple retired in 1989. His favorite hiking location was The Grand Canyon where he hiked, backpacked, rode the mules and rafted. Duane also volunteered at Saguaro National Park and led many hikes for the Southern Arizona Hiking Club. He was an active member at Catalina United Methodist Church and a frequent speaker as part of the Homebuilders Sunday School Class. Duane and Betty were married for 64 years before Betty’s passing in 2013. He most recently lived at Bell Court Gardens in Tucson, Arizona where he greatly enjoyed singing and playing volleyball. Duane is survived by his daughters and sons-in-law, Lee Ann Tremback of Farmington, CT, Emily Mason (Tim) of Tucson and Amy O’Brien (Shawn) of Cincinnati, OH, and sister-in-law Gail Keener of Massillon, OH. He loved his grandchildren, Gwendolyn and Shea O’Brien, Anna Lee Flinn and Peter Tremback. Duane was preceded in death by his parents. Memorial gifts may be made to the Catalina, UMC Foundation in Duane High’s name, 2700 E. Speedway Blvd, Tucson, AZ 85716.

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