July 28, 1942 ~ February 3, 2026 (age 83)
Allen Wesley Duke, 83, formerly of Lanett, Alabama, passed away at Piedmont Eastside Hospital, Snellville, Georgia, on February 3rd, 2026, after a short illness.
Wesley was born at the home of his parents, the late Riley and Mary Duke, in West Point, Georgia, on a very hot Tuesday, July 28th morning in 1942.
His first love was cars, until he met Linda Bailey in 1963 and they married in 1966. They would have celebrated their 60th anniversary this year on September 17.
Wesley had only lived in one other house for only two years while his father built the home he and Linda shared until they moved to Georgia to be near family.
After graduating from Valley High School and working in Fairfax Mill, he overcame a serious illness in 1962. Wesley worked in the auto parts business before becoming interested in electronics and Electronic Accounting Machines (EAM) for punch cards used in data processing, graduating from Falls College of Automation in 1966. He retired as IT Manager from Johnston Textiles, Inc., after starting his career with West Point Manufacturing Company (later becoming West Point Pepperell/Stevens). He received numerous awards including the prestigious OUTSTANDING TEXTILE VOCATIONAL TEACHER AWARD from Georgia Tech and The Textile Education Foundation in 1982.
He had the talent of repairing things and could repair almost anything. He would spend hours repairing something that could be replaced much easier but said “the junk you get now is not any good.”
Wesley is survived by his wife of 60 years, Linda Bailey Duke, Brother Jerry (Jeanette) Duke, Niece Meredith Duke (Danny) Owens, Emilie Owens, Jake Owens. Survivors of his late Sister-in-Law Emily (Julian) Sanders – Randal (Cindy) Sanders, and Robin Williams; Survivors of his late Sister-in-law Virgie (Mike) Corless – Ginger Corless and Debora Walts.
At the request of the deceased, the family will celebrate his life in a graveside service: Thursday, February 12th at 1:30 PM EST. Harmony Memorial Park (Formerly Resthaven Memorial Cemetery) 6415 Veterans Memorial Pkwy (Highway 50) Lanett, Alabama.
No flowers – please make contributions to a church or charity of your choice.
Please visit Wesley’s Memorial Tribute page at www.johnsonbrownservicefh.com to leave a kind word for his family, to share a memory of Wesley, or to light a Remembrance Candle in his memory.
Johnson Brown-Service Funeral Home of Valley directing.
Local Obituaries brought to you by Frederick-Dean and Valley Point Funeral Homes. “Serving our communities in their time of need”.
