2,000 remember mission president

President Duke never lost his sense of humor, his children said. He loved to tease and joke with his four children and nine grandchildren.

"He always had a twinkle in his eye and a skip in his step," said his daughter, Katie Nelson. "If he happened to have a new pair of shoes on he'd have a little shuffle for you as well."

Nelson said her father used any excuse to get the family together. He decided the family needed to have "stretch parties" for several days before Thanksgiving to get their stomachs prepped and ready for the big meal.

Nelson tearfully told the crowd her father didn't have the opportunity to meet her children, who were born after he left for Africa.

"I was so excited for him to come home and be Grandpa," she said. "Now we are just going to teach them how he was."

President Duke was born in 1949 in Heber to William Howard and Ellen Child Duke.

He is survived by his sons R.L., Spencer and Mike, and a daughter, Katie.

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