Duane Louie Menken was born January 17th, 1935 to Louie and Hattie (Elsing) Menken in Mountain Lake, Minnesota.  He received his primary education in a country schoolhouse.  Starting at a young age he worked for local farmers and in his free time enjoyed going ice and roller skating.  This led to him meeting his future bride Elsie Antholz on a blind date.  In 1955, he entered the Army along with his brother Del and was stationed primarily in Germany for three years.

On October 19, 1958 Duane and Elsie were joined in marriage at St. John's Lutheran Church in Bird City, KS and were blessed with a  62 year journey of love. They started their married life in MN until they moved to Lindon, Colorado in 1959 to farm. Shortly after they moved to Fort Morgan where Duane worked for Mead Lumber Co for nearly 7 years.  In 1965, Duane and Elsie started and built the business of D.M. Insulating Company.  The business continued to grow and became a cornerstone for the community for 56 years to fill the needs of roofing, insulating and fencing.  Not only did the business meet the needs of many in neighboring communities but also in NE, KS & WY.  He learned to work hard from an early age and prided himself on a job well done.

Duane was a charter member of Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer and was a faithful servant. He served on church council, ground and building committees.  He was also a member of Morgan County  Builders Assoc. and The Optimist Club where he loved building floats for the annual Christmas parade with fellow members and took pride in the club winning repeated grand prizes.  He loved spending time with his family, camping, listening to country music, playing cards, gardening, polka dancing and celebrating life.

Among his survivors are his wife, Elsie, Fort Morgan; four daughters, Debra Menken-Baca (Ernie) Baca, Loveland, CO; Eileen (Erich) Schoenberger, Morrison, CO; Diane (Michael) Harman, Wichita, KS; Elisa Menken-Lecher (Tim) Lecher, Sidney, NE; one sister, Susan (Jerry) Neufeld, Kasota, MN; ten grandchildren, Samuel and Benjamin Baca; Dalton, Landon and Kolbron Schoenberger; Mikaela and Bryce Harman; Annalise, Christian and Dietrich Lecher.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his stepmother, Helen Menken;  two brothers, LaVern and Del and three sisters, Gertie, Henrietta and Sally.

Well done, good and faithful servant

Matthew 25:23

Memorials may be given to Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer Memorial Fund, American Lung Assoc. or a charity of your choice.

Visitation will be Tuesday, May 18 ^th from 5 – 7 PM at the Heer Mortuary in Fort Morgan.

Funeral service will be at 10:30 AM on Wednesday, May 19 ^th at Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer, 1100 West Platte Ave. in Fort Morgan. Inurnment will follow in Memory Gardens Cemetery.