Lewis Coleman Duckett, age 95 of Bloomington, MN passed away on March 27, 2019 with the support and loving care of Fairview Hospice at Good Samaritan Society in Inver Grove Heights.
The youngest of five siblings, he was born in Greenville, SC on December 6, 1923 to John and Alma Duckett. He was preceded in death by his parents; sisters, Elizabeth, Marguerite, June and brother, John. Remembering him with love is his wife of 66 years, Kathryn; daughter, Beverly Duckett Edwards; grandsons Coleman and Darren Edwards; niece, Ruth Phelps and nephew, Robert Duckett; sisters-inlaw, Carrie, Doris, Betty, and Drema; many great nieces and nephews, cousins, friends, students and colleagues.
Upon graduating from Sterling High School, Lewis moved to Chicago where he was drafted for military service in the Pacific and was inducted into the Army at the age of 20yrs at Fort Custer in Michigan; he served as a Topographic Draftsman in New Guinea, Okinawa and the Philippines. After his honorable discharge, he enrolled in Hampton Institute (now University) in Hampton, VA where he completed a double major in Art History and Music and was a bass/baritone soloist with the Hampton Institute touring choir. It was at this time he met Kathryn Abram, another choir member and upon her graduation in 1952, they married at the campus church. Lewis and Kathryn then moved to Washington, DC where they taught school in nearby Maryland. In 1953, they moved to Minneapolis and in 1955, Lewis began teaching art and music at Jefferson Junior High School in South Minneapolis where he remained for 20 years. In 1962, he received his Masters Degree in Art History from University of Minnesota. However, in 1975, he chose to enter elementary school teaching where he taught at various schools for 18 years, ending at Armatage Elementary School in South Minneapolis. At the same time, he worked as a behind-the-wheel Drivers Education instructor teaching youngsters and adults alike. In 1993 Lewis retired from public teaching after 38 years in the classroom, but continued teaching Drivers Education until September 2004.
Lewis leaves as his legacy his love for his family, his passion for art and music, his sense of adventure through travel, his love of languages, his limitless generosity, his love of teaching, his sense of humor, his intellect, and his talent for story telling.
In lieu of flowers, the family prefers memorials to Good Samaritan Society, Inver Grove Heights.
Care entrusted to Washburn-McReavy Werness Brothers Chapel 2300 W Old Shakopee Road, Bloomington, MN. Visitation Sunday April 14, 1:00 p.m. until 2 p.m. with a Funeral Service at 2:00pm. Interment Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Minneapolis.
Washburn-McReavy.com Werness Brothers 952-884-8145
Published on April 10, 2019
Susan Adlis
Mr. Duckett was a brilliant man. I always felt a bit intimidated by him, but I was intimidated by almost everyone back then. May he Rest In Peace.
Douglas James
I went through Jefferson Jr. High (7 grade to 9th grade) and I remember Mr. Duckett has very bright eyes and he look at me.Marc Geiger
Ah yes. Mr. Duckett. In music class, he explained how important it was to learn the correct pronunciation of the classical composers. I learned them well. Was he strict? I think he bought yardsticks in quantity. The class was standing around the room, and Mr. Duckett had yardstick in hand. The boy standing next to me was whispering to me something while Mr Duckett's back was turned to us. Suddenly, he turned and broke said yardstick on the whisperer. Lesson learned! He ran a very tight ship, but at the same time was a very good teacher. I've never forgotten how to pronounce those composer names!
Richard Clarke
When I moved from Massachusetts to Minneapolis I was in 7th grade at Jefferson. I had just started playing trombone back in Mass but had not learned how to read music proficiently so I wrote the slide position above each note. During one of my first practice sessions with Mr. Duckett, he stood behind me, noticed the numbers and stearnly told me to erase them. I did, then transferred to vocal music at the end of the semester. Jim Hannon and I were the only male altos in the choir. I'm still singing tenor in the church choir. Thank you Mr. Duckett for your wise guidance.