Bobby Johnson Duncan's Obituary
Bobby J. Duncan, 85, passed away surrounded by family on October 2 at Sylvan Health Center in Clearwater, Florida. He was a native of Carrollton, GA, but spent most of his adult life in Clearwater.
He began his professional career as a research scientist, earning his BS in Physics from Berry College in Rome, GA, his MS in Physics from Emory University in Atlanta, GA, and pursued PhD studies in physics at the University of Florida. He accepted his first engineering position in military electronics at Sperry Gyroscope in Great Neck, New York. He was promoted and transferred to Sperry Microwave in Oldsmar in the late 1950s, where he commenced a highly successful career as an engineer in the space and defense industry. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, he was active in the Apollo program that carried the first men to the moon. His greatest achievement was heading the team that designed the technology responsible for the first audio and visual transmissions from the moon. His accomplishments earned him pioneer status in the space industry. Later, he directed marketing, research and planning for the Sperry Rand Corporation. During the course of his 20 year career with Sperry, he was awarded over 20 domestic and international patents in microwave spectrometry. In the early 1970s he left Sperry to begin his second career as a private businessman in retail electronics, opening Suncoast Sights and Sounds in Dunedin. After 17 successful years, he sold that company and began his third career, joining his son’s firm, the Craig Duncan State Farm Agency, as an agent for the next 21 years. He retired in 2010.
In addition to his enthusiasm for his various careers, he was also very involved throughout his life in the Baptist church, serving as a deacon and director of several church departments. However, he reserved his greatest passion for his family, being a dedicated and loving husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Gay, and two children, Neva Tabb (Lloyd) and Craig (Barbara), six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
A Celebration of Life will be held at North Dunedin Baptist Church, 1595 Michigan Ave, on Tuesday, October 6 at 2 pm. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the North Dunedin Baptist Memorial Fountain.
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