Duane Laird

Our Husband, Father, Grandfather, Great Grandfather, and resident comedian passed away peacefully surrounded by family on Friday May 27th, 2022 just six days shy of his 90th birthday. He was a faithful servant of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, a husband of 67 years, father of 66 years, grandfather of 48 years, and great grandfather of 24 years. He was born in Oakland, California to Samuel and Helen Laird on June 2nd, 1932 and was baptized on October 23rd, 1932. He was the middle child to his older brother Samuel and baby sister Nancy. After graduating high school, he joined the United States Marine Corps. Because of a motorcycle accident he had as a teenager resulting in leg damage he was honorably discharged before deploying to the Korean War but states his time in the Marines “helped me grow up.” He hung out with his close friends Tommy Bigalow, Roger Mclean, Harvey Riffe, and Phil Glock. To give you an idea of the importance of these relationships two of these jokesters were to become in-laws. He took night classes at the local college and started working for Longview Fibre Company, a corrugated box manufacturer which is not to be confused with cardboard. Shortly thereafter he was introduced to the love of his life, Eunice Delphine Glock by his friend Phil, who just happened to be Eunice’s brother. They were wed on May 8th, 1955 in Oakland, California. In those early years they lived in a house that was right down the street from his sister Nancy and her husband Harvey Riffe. The family has always called this home ‘The Hayward House’ and there they all used to play cards, drink beer, and Duane would pretend to BBQ while Eunice actually did. Their two boys, Bradley and Mart were born here and Eunice was pregnant with their daughter when they left for Oakland. Kristi was born while they resided in the Dale Place duplex in Oakland. Duane was still working for Longview Fibre. They were only there a short time before moving to the house on Maxwell where they often hung out with the aforementioned Roger Mclean and his wife Lois. They went to the beach and fished in the Russian River. He would take his three kids on lots of hikes while Eunice looked at the water but almost never touched it, until Kristi fell in and she had to go get her. He took their family to Idaho in the winter of 1970 for a job transfer with Longview Fibre. The novelty of Idaho snow quickly wore off as they lived in the Cove Motel for three months while they looked for their first Idaho home. They landed on the eastern outskirts of Twin Falls on a street called Desert View Dr. which at the time did indeed have a view of the Idaho desert. There they raised their three children through their high school years in the late 70s. The basement there lives in teenage infamy as many funny stories are told about this time including some by future in-laws. The 1980s brought the house the family called ‘The Duplex’ and the ownership of a small condominium apartment purchased for his mother a few blocks away. He didn’t much enjoy being a landlord and was relieved when Kristi moved into the condominium after his mother’s passing. His grandchildren were only increasing in number so they sold The Duplex and their corner of the condominium to purchase a home on the quiet cul-de-sac of Laura Circle. The back deck and gazebo of this home would become the future go-to place for friends and family birthday parties, egg hunts, and many festive gatherings. They traveled to Indiana to see their oldest son Bradley and his children. He was a lifelong employee of Longview Fibre and in 1997 at the age of 64 he retired as the Personnel and Office Manager after 45 years. By this time, he already had eight grandchildren and in his retirement he enjoyed his church, family, El Camino, woodworking, golfing, and fly fishing. He built himself a woodworking shop in the backyard of the Laura Circle house. The woodworking hobby only once caused an injury; a deep cut to his thumb nicking the bone. After visiting the doctor, he fabricated his own splint with the same saw that injured him. In the shop he built beautiful lawyers cabinets, curios, and bookshelves that still reside in the homes of his loved ones. The end of the 1990s brought his first great grandchild. In 2001 they took a cruise to Alaska with Phil and his wife Joyce, and Eunice’s sister Verna and her husband Jim. Duane fondly spoke of this trip as he considered it the trip of a lifetime. Prior to leaving he studied all the pamphlets and brochures committing the layout of the cruise ship to memory so he could maximize his time there. The next couple of decades gave him another grandchild and 11 more great grandchildren. He picked up kids from school, went to sporting events, dance recitals, art shows, guitar lessons, and graduations. The back deck continued to be the place to go for family gatherings. He continued to woodwork until 2015 when he had a stroke that slowed him down, but just a little. He gave up his woodworking but did recover well. He continued his coffee club meetups with his friends at McDonalds. His final years were filled with reading the newspaper comics and books, playing with his great grandchildren, cat naps in his recliner, eating dark chocolate covered peanut clusters, and drinking really hot coffee. He was preceded in death by his father Samuel Laird, mother Helen Laird, brother Samuel Laird, sister Nancy Riffe, and great granddaughter Kyla McCullough. He is survived by his loving wife Eunice Laird, his children Bradley (Monica) Laird, Mart (Leita) Laird, and Kristi (Royce) McCullough; His grandchildren Cameron Laird, Rhiannon (Justin) Tobin, Quinn Laird, Hannah Laird, Jessica (Casey) Markwell, Ian (Desiree) Laird, Bret (Brett-Elizabeth) McCullough, Joseph (Amber) McCullough, and Kevin McCullough; His great grandchildren Ezra Laird, Matilda Laird, Kelby Tobin, Alexavier Markwell, Kora-Lynn McCullough, Bree-Annarose McCullough, and Jade McCullough who at the time of this writing is just two months old, and four more great grandchildren. When asked what his greatest achievement was he answered, “To marry Eunice! She is my best friend and supporter, to raise a family, to earn a living, and woodworking fits in there somewhere. But most important is to love Jesus.” Duane Laird’s service will be held at Immanuel Lutheran Church on Thursday, June 2 at 2:00pm. If you would like to give a gift in Duane’s honor, please make a donation to Immanuel Lutheran School Twin Falls, Idaho. Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His faithful servant. Psalm 116:15 To view Duane's Funeral Service Video Click On The Following Links: Duane Laird - Immanuel Lutheran Church Memorial Service, Twin Falls, Idaho, - YouTube, https://youtu.be/3oOVP33164M