James Duke

OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. -- James Leslie Duke, 74, died at 1:20 p.m. Nov. 12, 2005, in the Ocean Springs Hospital.

Born Dec. 19, 1930, in Harrisburg, Ill., son of the late Hardy Wilson and Daisy Cummins Duke, he had lived for the past 33 years in Ocean Springs where he was member of the First Baptist Church and the American Legion Post 42. He was a retired machinist and a veteran of the U.S. Air Force having served during the Korean War.

On Dec. 1, 1966, he married Alice Marie LeClaire who survives of the home.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by: four sons, John Duke and Danny Joe Duke of Ocean Springs, Darrin Manning of Gastonia, N.C., and Donald Ray Duke of New Iberia, La.; one daughter, Bonnie Sue St. Arnaud of Ponchatoula, La.; two brothers, H.W. Duke of Dogwood, Mo., and Cletus Duke of Cypress, Ill.; two sisters, Freda Matthews of Dogwood and Yvonne Mier of Alton, Ill.; and 12 grandchildren.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by one daughter, Regina Ann Duke; two grandchildren; one sister, Myrtis Burris; and an infant sister.

Friends may call after 5 p.m. Friday at the Shelby Funeral Home in East Prairie, Mo. Funeral services will be conducted at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the Dogwood United Methodist Church with Charles Carr officiating.

Burial will follow in the Dogwood Cemetery.

Graveside rites will be conducted by the Brown-Twitty American Legion 595 of New Madrid and the Missouri Military Funeral Honors Program.