Duane Wendell DeLong

Duane Wendell DeLong Lived 83 years. Duane was born Saturday, December 23, 1933, in Lebanon, Nebraska and died Thursday, March 30, 2017, in Wichita, Kansas. A Memorial Service celebrating his life will be held at 10:30 a.m., Monday, April 10, 2017, at Mt. Vernon United Methodist Church in Wichita, Kansas. Duane and his siblings Ray and Nancy grew up in a variety of smaller Kansas and Nebraska towns under the care of their father Dell and mother Ruth. Dell was an auditor, manager, and regional manager for Gambles hardware stores. Dell and Ruth divorced when Duane was in 8th grade. Dell moved to Hays, Kansas where he met and married Edna Metzler and Duane attended Hays High School. Duane and his siblings spent some summers with Ruth in Nebraska. After another move he graduated from the high school in Fairbury, Nebraska and attended one year of junior college. Duane then worked briefly in construction for the railroad before serving three years in the Army, stationed primarily in Korea (after the war). After his service in the Army, Duane visited Japan on his way home. He returned to Arkansas City, Kansas where Dell and Edna were then living and went back to school. It was there he met his future wife Mary Maxine Hynd in a geography course at Arkansas City Junior College. He showed slides from his trip to Japan and was invited by Maxine to show them again at her church. Whether it was the Army crew cut (kept his entire life), or the air of adventure, a romance was born. They were married on November 16, 1957 after which Maxine joined him in Manhattan, Kansas, where Duane had begun a business/accounting degree at Kansas State University. After college, and three months of training in Kansas City, they settled in Wichita where Duane worked his entire career at the IRS in a variety of roles. He was a 50+ year member of Mt. Vernon, active in Boy Scout Troop 614 and served the church in many financial roles from counting money on Sunday to Financial Secretary. Duane and Maxine enjoyed dancing at the Moose Lodge on Saturday nights. He kept adventure in his life by staying active in the outdoors with hunting, fishing, hiking, and family camping trips, all when the family was young. In middle age he took up jogging and participated in several organized runs. In retirement he was a passionate birder, taking trips with Maxine all over the country to add to his life list. The Wichita Audubon Society gave him the 2008 Meritorious Service Award for his many volunteer contributions. He became more social as he aged, freely sharing his jokes and stories. Duane was preceded in death by his father, Dellas, stepmother Edna, and mother Ruth DeLong. Survived by his wife, Mary Maxine DeLong of Wichita; daughter Theresa Lynn (Tim) Ralston of Andover, Kansas; sons Matthew John (Amy) DeLong of Wichita, Steven James (Theresa) DeLong of Bel Aire, Kansas, and Christopher David (Laurie) DeLong of Kansas City, Missouri; sister Nancy (Ron) Gerdes of Lincoln, Nebraska; brother Ray (Nancy) DeLong of Palos Verdes Estates, California; grandchildren Rachael (Derek) Berg, Laura (Matt) Rivers, Jennifer Ralston, John Ralston, Emily (Sean) Hephner, Thomas DeLong and Charles DeLong; and great-grandchildren Alice and Rebekah Berg. In lieu of flowers, a memorial has been established with Wichita Audubon Society, P.O. Box 47607, Wichita, KS 67201. Downing & Lahey Mortuary - East Chapel.