Maurice Duncan

Well, Dad, after all those years of checking the obituaries “just to be sure,” you finally made it. While we aren’t thrilled that you’ve achieved your goal, we are glad to have had you as long as we did. Don’t worry, this won’t be heading to the maudlin or melancholic; we know how you hate sentimentality and all that mushy stuff. We just wanted you to know that we will miss you. Now someone else will have to slide into the role of driving Mom crazy, and none of us are as uniquely adept at that job as you. We love you Dad. Now to the business side:

Surrounded by loved ones and deeply lamented, John Maurice Duncan concluded his mortal journey on 1 January 2026. Not one to enjoy a fuss, he chose the wee small hours to take his last breaths. Valerie would have preferred he wait a bit longer, days, months or even years, but as usual, he did what he wanted.

For 56 years, he was the beloved husband, partner, and frequent thorn in the side of Valerie. He was the best of dads and mentors to Jon (Sonia), Marli (Kevin), Suzanne (Horacio), Scott (Patty), and David (Tera). They will never look at skipping ropes and Hot Wheel tracks without fondly remembering him and his sincere desire to impart wisdom and love. As much as he loved his children, his greatest joy came from becoming a grandpa and co-conspirator to a whackload of favourite grandchildren - 22 and counting. He is survived by his siblings, Margaret, Alvin, and Jim. 

As a true jack-of-all-trades, Maurice possessed no end of useful skills. He was a chemist’s assistant, a journeyman carpenter, a teacher and finally, his dream job as a foreman on Clarence Visser’s farm. It took a heart attack at age 71 to finally convince him to hang up his overalls and put his stinky feedlot boots out to pasture. 

Dad, Grandpa, Maurice, “Mo,” and Bishop loved people, and he loved to serve. No matter who you were, if you needed help, he was willing. He built houses, replaced roofs, fixed faucets, cleared weeds, and wrecked ovens seasoning Scout cast-iron pans. We would list more, but I can hear him saying, “That’s enough. They get the idea.” He really was a humble, simple farm boy with a huge heart and the know-how to do anything. 

Preceding him from this life were his parents, Alexander and Edna Duncan, his brother, Bob, and his precious granddaughter, Sidney Duncan. We imagine they were eager to welcome him to his new digs in heaven. He had a firm testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ and in the eternal nature of families. Like we said, he wouldn’t want a fuss made of his passing, so in lieu of flowers, go and buy yourself a milkshake - the bigger the better. He would recommend a double chocolate banana, but that’s just his favourite. You do you.

A  service will be held on Saturday, January 10, 2026, in Stirling at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 1:00pm. A private family interment will take place. 

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Maurice Duncan, please visit our floral store.