Obituary of Duane S. McPheeters

It is with great sadness that the family of Duane Stanley McPheeters announces his passing on Sunday, January 13, 2019 at the age of 86.  He will be greatly missed.

Duane Stanley McPheeters was born in Nampa, Idaho on March 15, 1932 to parents Wayne and Helen Neal McPheeters.  He had one brother, Milton and one sister, Sharon (stillborn).

He was previously married to Wanda Burt.  Together they have three children, Tim (Connie) McPheeters, Susan McPheeters, and Jeff (Dorinda) McPheeters.

On June 30, 1980 Duane married Kay Barrentine Wright.  He expanded his family, which includes R. Dean (Mary Jane) Wright, Teresa (Gary) Meeker, and James (Kristen) Wright.

He had a life-long affair with any candy he could get his hands onto.  Snickers was one of his greatest loves.  There was a time that Black Velvet softly called his name that helped him dance with a big smile upon his face.

During his lifetime, Duane worked several jobs, mostly running heavy equipment. He worked for the State of Oregon, the Vale Irrigation District, an Oregon lumber mill, and the City of Vale. 

He proudly served in his community and genuinely loved to serve others. Duane was a volunteer fireman for over 40 years, serving 30 of those years as the fire chief. He was part of the rescue workers team during the flood of 1957 in Vale, OR. He was one of Oregon’s first EMT’s and volunteered for the Vale Ambulance Crew.  Several volunteer hours were spent working with the Vale Rodeo, Vale High School and Vale Airport while working full-time for the City of Vale.   Upon retiring, Duane was unanimously elected the Mayor of Vale, OR.  When he came up for re-election, Duane politely said, “No, thank you”.  However, the citizens of Vale, OR had other plans for Duane by electing him with write-in votes, earning him a total of 2 terms as the Mayor.

Numerous times during his lifetime, Duane was honored for his countless service hours.  He earned the citizen of the year award, fireman of the year, the Vale Rodeo grand marshal, and many other countless honors.

Duane was a devoted family man and friend to many.  He enjoyed attending many sports and other events for his grandchildren.  Some of his favorite activities included camping, fishing countless hours, and hunting for elk, deer, and pheasants. Duane was always there to help anyone who needed him.  No matter how busy he was with his own projects, Duane would jump in his truck to help those who needed him without a second thought.

Duane will always be remembered for his sense of humor, practical jokes, laughter, kindness, a listening ear and a caring heart.

His wife Kay of 38 years and his children, Tim, Susan, Jeff, R Dean, Teresa, and James, will lovingly remember Duane.  He will also be fondly remembered by several grandchildren, great grandchildren, great-great grandchildren, and several nieces and nephews.

His father, mother, brother, sister, several aunts and uncles as well as his best friend, Mark Veristain precede him in death.

A celebration of Duane’s life will be held at Vale Christian Church, on Saturday, January 19, 2019 at 11 am with Pastor Phil Abbott officiating. Services under the direction of Lienkaemper Chapel, Vale.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make a donation to the Vale Fire & Ambulance Department or Vale Senior Citizen Center.

 

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