Duane “Duke” Marsh, 72, passed away peacefully to Heaven surrounded by his family after a three year battle with cancer. Duke was born on June 28, 1948 in Fort Wayne and graduated from North Side High School. At the age of 20, he went to work at Joslyn Steel (later Slater Steel) at which time he met his best friend Bill North and where he worked for 35 years and spent the last 18 years of his employment in the ESR. Duke was surrounded by people who loved him and whom he loved: he was a husband to Cindi, dad to Tad and Kurt, Papa to Alex, Rachael, Tabatha, and Gabrielle, and six great-grandchildren; a friend to neighbors of 30 years who would often stop and chat with him as he sat on the front porch; extended family members, the North’s -who as children spent hours at Pine Lake, sweltering at the 4th of July fireworks at the Coliseum and watching in awe as Duke entertained them with some homemade fun. His biggest joy was when Tad and Kurt came for an extended stay; he looked forward to their visits for months. Cindi and Duke met in 1979, and married in 1982. Nearly 39 years of marriage allowed their love and respect for one another to grow. They could be seen spontaneously dancing to their favorite songs in the garage. Duke told great stories about fishing with his dad at Clear Lake-but he wasn’t a fisherman. He spent most of his time putting bait on the hook. But that didn’t bother him at all. It was never about catching fish. It was always about people-being with them, sharing with them, learning from then and teaching them. A Celebration of Life Service will be held at Taylor Chapel, 10145 Maysville Road in Fort Wayne at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Taylor Chapel UMC, Turnstone Center, or Cancer Services of NE Indiana. Duke will be missed by many. FairHaven Funeral Home and Cremation Services is handling arrangements.