Earl C. 'Duke' Willey, 89

Earl C. Duke Willey, 89, passed away on Friday, July 16, 2010, at St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula. He was born on May 11, 1921, in Sioux City, Iowa, to William E. and Florence (Rassmussen) Willey. Duke graduated from Flathead County High School in 1939. He owned and operated Duke Hamburger Inn in Kalispell until 1940. In 1944, during World War II, he served in the South Pacific and was discharged in 1946. He then joined the Montana Army National Guard in 1948. He was always proud that he joined the military as a buck private and served every enlisted rank through master sergeant until being commissioned a second lieutenant in 1951. He retired an artillery major in 1973. During this time Duke owned a mercantile store in Dayton, where he also served as Justice of the Peace from 1951 to 1954. He was also a pioneer in the law enforcement field, serving as a deputy sheriff for Flathead County and as provost marshal for the Montana National Guard from 1957 to 1959. He was a senior staff probation officer at the Montana State Prison, an adult probation officer, a regional executive director and adviser for the Montana Board of Crime Control and security officer during the Gulf War. Duke retired again in 1982 but continued assisting in law enforcement efforts. Duke was preceded in death by his wife Frances Patty in 1997 and one brother, Loren B. Willey, in 1997. He is survived by three daughters, Laurie Anne Pahl of St. Paul, Mo., Marilee Willey of Mechanicsburg, Pa., and Nancy Ellen Mori of Missoula; one son, Lloyd William Willey, of Berkeley, Calif.; two grandsons; four beautiful granddaughters; and six great-grandchildren; as well as one brother, Lloyd Vernon Willey. Graveside services for Duke will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday, July 20, at C.E. Conrad Memorial Cemetery with military honors. Johnson Gloschat Funeral Home and Crematory is caring for Duke s family.