Donald Duane Carmony

Donald Duane Carmony

West Lafayette - Donald Duane Carmony, accomplished scientist, naturalist and beloved family member, passed away on Jan. 14 due to Covid-19. He was 85.

A research scientist in the field of particle physics, Duane also taught and mentored many students in physics and engineering at Purdue University during his tenure on the faculty from 1966 to 2002. His experimental research into atomic structure, conducted at Fermi National Accelerator and Argonne National laboratories in Illinois and at other research institutions throughout the world, was published in many scientific journals and textbooks and his contributions to the field of physics were recognized with his induction into the American Physical Society.

Duane was a dedicated bird watcher, traveling all over the world to observe and document birds and amassing an impressive "life list" of more than 2,500 bird species. He made lifelong friends through this shared commitment to observing and documenting bird behavior and migratory patterns and protecting the wildlands that support birds and other wildlife.

Duane was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, on Sept. 16, 1935 to Donald Francis Carmony, a history professor and scholar at Indiana University, and Edith Carmony, a Latin teacher and homemaker. He and his brother, Lowell, grew up in Bloomington, Indiana, where he attended

University High School and studied at Indiana University before obtaining his doctorate in physics from University of California Berkeley.

Duane met his wife, Patricia Myrl Palmer, in Berkeley and they were drawn together through their shared love of nature and wildlife, classical music and literature. They married on Dec. 29. 1961. Pat and Duane's oldest daughter, Patricia Diane, was born in Los Angeles in 1963. Their younger daughter, Debra Jean, was born in La Jolla, CA in 1965.

The family moved to West Lafayette in 1967 when Duane accepted a faculty position at Purdue and Pat worked as a librarian. They lived next to Happy Hollow Park surrounded by birds, squirrels and raccoons and enjoyed a series of schnauzers, cats and other pets. They also lived for a year in Germany while Duane worked as a senior scientist at the Max Planck Institute in Munich and in Australia where he worked at the University of Melbourne. He received the Alexander von Humboldt Senior U.S. Scientist Award and was a Fulbright Scholar.

Duane loved travel and spending time in the natural world. Some of his happiest moments were hiking in Shades State Park and on the Oregon coast. He was also known for getting his entire family up before the break of dawn to search for Great Horned Owls or to witness Fairy Penguins landing on a beach near Melbourne, Australia.

Duane and Pat also were dedicated to progressive causes and the protection of wild creatures and their natural habitats.

With the help of their daughter, Debbie, and her family, Duane and Pat moved back to California in 2015, which allowed them much quality time with their beloved grandchildren, Owen, Ethan and Nick. Pat passed away in 2017.

The family thanks Patti Baird and the entire staff and visiting caregivers at Tiffany Court in Walnut Creek, CA, for their compassionate care of Duane, for helping him join multiple zoom bingo games with family, and to Rich Cardenas for keeping Duane engaged in physical activity. The family also thanks the staff of John Muir Hospital in Walnut Creek for their dedication during Duane's final hours.

Duane is survived by daughter Diane Carmony and wife Vikki Porter; daughter Debbie Kadiyala and husband, Raja; grandchildren, Owen, Ethan and Nick; nieces Kathryn Carmony Finch and Anne Carmony Tropp and their families, and nieces Shelley Fox-Loken and Kim Lauterbach, nephew Mike Palmer, and many great nieces and great nephews. He also is survived by three wonderful sisters-in-law: Marjory Manske Carmony, Linda Palmer and Janis Taylor. His beloved younger brother, Lowell, passed away last year.

In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations in Duane's memory to the Audubon Society, the Nature Conservatory of Indiana or the American Civil Liberties Union.