- Date Of Birth: August 8, 1935
- Date Of Death: August 9, 2019
- Spouse: Sara M Horner
- Resting Place: Anchorage
- City: Seattle
- State: Washington
Longtime Alaskan Paul R “Duke” DuClos, Jr. died Friday, August 9, 2019, one day after celebrating his 84th Birthday with his family at his bedside. He passed peacefully at the home of his son in Anchorage from cancer.
He was born August 8, 1935 in San Francisco to Paul R DuClos, Sr. and Elva M DuClos. Paul was raised in Seattle, WA where he attended Seattle Prep and Ballard HS. Paul went on to attend the University of Washington and was a member of Beta Theta Pi Fraternity. In the summer of 1954 he came to Alaska with his fraternity brother Jack Miller to work at Elmendorf with a pick and a shovel for Lease / M-B Joint Venture. In 1956 he worked on the DEW Line across the top of Alaska as a Project Engineer. Paul married Sara M Horner on July 1, 1960 and they made their home in Anchorage for the next 38 years at which time they retired to their island home on Big Lake. In the mid-sixties Paul joined up with his Fraternity Brother Jack Miller (President) of M-B Contracting, Inc. where he was an estimator and project manager on the Boney Courthouse, the first expansion project of the Anchorage International Airport and many others. In 1975 Ken Brady, of Ken Brady Construction Company, Inc., hired Paul as a Project Manager for the Alaska Regional Hospital Project. He went on to become the General Manager and Senior Project Manager for the Company where he worked on many iconic Anchorage buildings.
Paul was an active member of the Associated General Contractors of America, Alaska Chapter. He served on the Carpenters Apprenticeship Training Committee for many years and served as the Chapter President in 1987. Paul also served his community on the Hope Cottage (now Hope Community Resources) Board for 20 years. As a Big Lake resident he was on the Mat-Su Port Commission for 7 years and served on the board of the newly founded Mat-Su Health Foundation. Paul was a regular parishioner of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Anchorage and Our Lady of the Lake Parish at Big Lake, AK. Paul volunteered his professional expertise throughout his life for the benefit of the parishes. Paul’s faith played an import role in his life. Paul was an avid athlete playing tennis twice a day in Hawaii as late as November 2018. He was very involved as a coach for his kids baseball and basketball teams and as a Cub Scout Pack Leader. Paul hunted and fished throughout his life. His favorite place was the Deshka River fishing for King Salmon.
In his later years Paul enjoyed teaching his grandkids ping-pong and playing badminton at the Lake as well as watercraft, boating and waterskiing skills and snowmachine treks in the winter. The family all loved it when he would wake them up and have his famous “from scratch buttermilk pancakes” cooking on the griddle. During the quiet week days of the winter months he enjoyed cross country skiing from the Lake home with his golden retriever Sunny. Paul was preceded in death by his wife, Sara of 55 years and is survived by three sons; Paul III, David (fianc Jennifer Tibbitts), Jack (wife Jennifer) and nine grandchildren; Colette (husband Colton LeVasseur), Paul IV (wife Morgan), Denali, Anna, Julie, Luc, Kate, Danielle, and Ella DuClos all of Anchorage and his sister Joan Spidell (husband Gary) and nephews Carl and Eric Spidell and niece Ellen Crozier.
