Birth: Dec. 1, 1920
Savanna
Carroll County
Illinois, USA Death: Apr. 8, 1991
Geneseo
Henry County
Illinois, USA [Edit Dates]

"Duffy" Duane W. Lehr was the fifth child William Conrad Lehr 1881-1962 and Myrtle Vivian (Lockhart) Lehr 1883-1961 of Illinois

Ex-husband of: Laverne Otness

Husband of: Marijane T (Trotter) Lehr

Father of: Kathy Avery; Vicki Beck & Maria Jean Lehr

Duane was born in Savanna, Carroll, Illinois, United States His father William Conrad Lehr was one of the local farmers and during his off time with that he would work for the railroad running between Savanna and Chicago,IL. Duane would spend his time grew up in Savanna, MT. Carroll area. Graduating from Savanna Township High School in 1939. From there he went on to Tulsa University in Tulsa, Oklahoma to finish his studies.

About this time World War two started so he enlistment in the National Guard in 1941. With one of his duty station was Fairbanks Alaska.

Duane had two loves one was the trumpet which he learned to play as a child and all through his teen years he played in various towns with his fellow band members up and down the Mississippi River on both sides FROM Savanna to as far south as Quincy Illinois. At 19 while on one of these trips with the band he had an auto accident that was bad enough they tried to declare he was dead but he proved them wrong. (When he told the story they had told him he was out for about 19 minutes) As a result it left him with painful nerve damage in his face and partially deaf in one ear.

He would continue to play his trumpet or try to long after had retired. If he wasn't playing chances are you might hear him whistle some sort of turn. When his life was almost over the thing that went was his ability to play even though he would keep trying.

His other love was radio broadcasting and news. This is what he went to college in Tulsa was for a life in broadcasting. in the early years he would either be working for different newspaper or you might hear him behind a mike broadcasting to the towns people.

Both Radio and his trumpet would play a part in his middle add later years. This all started several years after the war was over and after his second child was born.

In 1959 while living in Coquille, OR, and working for the Coquille Valley Sentinel he was asked to work on setting up the meeting place, hosting and getting the word out about when the presidential candidates came through town.

During that time Mr. John F Kennedy came through looking for votes, when he met Duane. He told him "If you ever get to Washington to look him up". During that same period of time the Marine Band the Presidents Own also came through the town of Coquille. The man (Mr. Trapp) who was running it liked Duane’s work so much he offered Duane the job of booking their appearance throughout the nation. Duane accepted the job then moved his family to the Washington D.C. area.

They stayed in an old rooming house which is now gone in the middle of Chevy Chase on Wisconsin, Av. Duane and Marijane and their daughter final found and apartment they liked thanks to the church they join soon after arriving.

In the mean time they arrived just in time watch Mr. Kennedy' swearing in ceremony and to stand in the cold and watch the Inauguration.

All the travel by car with now AC through the Hot days of the south which was part of the job would. Duane found was too much for him and his doctor forced him to quit because it was affecting his health.

Soon after that he worked various jobs and playing his trumpet (which proved to be a lifesaver at times) including working during that time for a radio station in Manassas, VA. Where the town had him play Santa for the kids He arrived by helicopter in their local strip mall. That night and days later he wondered why he was so sore (it was from lifting all those little ones up into his lap so they could tell him what they wanted for Christmas) Over the year after that he would reminisce about that day as being one of his best.

He finally found his niche soon after that day. He landed his dream job working for the DC Department of Motor Vehicles. His job entailed setting up there and writing their newsletter, doing public relations for the department, teaching preschooler/school age children about bike safety and how to cross the street safely, and classes for those who have lost or going to lose their driver's license.

But the biggest thing and the frosting on the cake was doing traffic report on both WTOP and WRC radio stations. In the wee hours of the morning you could hear him getting up to let the drivers know the road conditions. If the weather was too bad he would do his report from one of the bedrooms at home, and warning the drivers to stay put also until the weather cleared. Most of the time though he would drive downtown from Bethesda to the Washington Monument long before even the birds were up to do his report. Placing calls with one of the local police departments in the area where it was bad so that he could let drivers know to avoid the troubled spots and what road to detour the fastest around the problem.

In the early 1980's Duane and retired. Marijane had already retired by then also from her dream job with Army Map and working as a cartographer on the maps for the moon landing.

Just prior to Duane’s retirement their daughter Vicki had lost her husband from an illness that he contacted while being in the Navy during the Vietnam War. So they decide to move back to to Illinois to be near their widowed daughter and their three grandchildren.

Even during retirement Duane would contact the local radio station and newspaper and help them with stuff along the way. Or sit and watch thunder storms pass by the house with Wally their 25lb Morris the cat. Or sit and play his trumpet as he did with bands during big band era. Those who ever heard him play can now still hear him play in their memories.

Duane left this earth soon after a heart attack and later his final brow was a stroke that robbed him of his true life. After that event he lingered for a couple a months just long enough for Marijane and their daughter to get his homecoming ready. He slipped into eternity on the morning of April 8, 1991 and is walking the streets of heaven playing for the Lord the royal trumpets along with the other band member of heaven.

Immediate Family:
Son of:
William Conrad Lehr 25714982
par:
George Lehr 53808261
Anna Marie(Miller)Lehr 53808261

Myrtle Vivian (Lockhart) Lehr 25714979
her parents:
John W Lockhart 53808267

Hester Ann "Hattie A" Kemble Lockhart 109957671

First wife:
m1:(1944-1946)
Laverne Patricia (Skorstad) Lehr/Otness 1922-__
par: Casper Skorstad and Elvina N (Kjas) Skorstad
ch:yes

m1-2 (1955)she married:
Stanley Irving Otness 1925-2012
par: John J Otness 94076532 and Ragna A Otness (?)

ch:yes

Second wife:
m2:(1951)
Marijane T Lehr 66111451
par:
Erwin Cecil Trotter 127665271

Mildred Mae(Mersdorf)Trotter 127665255

Father of:
m1 Duane & Laverne
Kathleen Diane (Lehr)Avery
m Dennis G Avery
par?
ch:yes

Grandparents of:
Tricia Christine (Avery) Groeneweg
m Anthonie Groeneweg
ch:yes
Chad Avery
m Rachel B (Hill)Avery

ch:yes

m2 Duane & Marijane
Vicki Lorraine (Lehr)Beck
Vietnam era widow of:
John Joseph Beck 1950-1979 127669221
par:
Emil Joseph Beck, Jr. 127679849
Grace Ragina Beck 127685144
ch:yes

Grandparents of:
Gregory Thomas Beck
m:Heather M(Dodge)Beck
par: Larry E Dodge and Gayle M Dodge)
ch:yes

Anna Kathleen (Beck) Smith
m:John Taylor Smith
par: Michael R. Smith 33630649 and Donna (Acker) Smith)
ch:yes

Cynthia Diane (Beck)Galway
m1:1998-2011
Christopher Galway
par: Charles J Galway and Lynn (Redington)Galway 13996209
ch:yes

m2 parents of:
Maria Jean Lehr 1954-1954 127694127
(Maria arrived to early and only lived 11 hrs.)

(There were two others but they did not survive and there is no info on them ie.: when, where and so on.)

Brother of:
*1) Kenneth Arden Lehr 1904-?
m: Madelyn L.(Stockner)Lehr
par: K N Dilley and Minnie G Dilley
ch:yes

*2) Leslie Carl Lehr 1907-1989
m: Mary J (Deblock) Lehr
par: ?
ch:no

*3) Mildred Theodora (Lehr) Naniga
WWll era widow m1:
Kenneth C Blanchard 1906-1947, 77154051
par:
Solon Danforth Blanchard, 115883655
Lelia Jane Blanchard, 89665776
ch:?

m2 Denton Naniga 52771138
par: Garrett Naniga 96755111
Helen Sikkema Naniga 96752996
ch:no

*4) Helen Nadine (Lehr) Lawrence
m: Howard Lawrence
par: ?
ch:yes

Duane W Lehr