Duane Emerson Arbegast

1957 - 2025

DUANE EMERSON ARBEGAST

December 17, 1957 – March 25, 2025

Bakersfield – Duane Emerson Arbegast, 67, passed away unexpectedly on March 25, 2025, in Bakersfield, California. He will be remembered as a man of many talents, innumerable interests and a deep, unshakable love for his friends and family.

Duane was born on December 17, 1957, in Baltimore, Maryland. As a child, he was very artistic and also adopted many pets, including a dog, a baby alligator, and several hamsters - all named Captain. When his hamsters passed on, he would hold a church service for them that his sisters would sing at. He and his family moved from Houston, Texas to Odessa, Texas, before settling in Bakersfield. Duane attended Garces Memorial High School, where he met his lifelong best friend, Tony Lemos, and palled around with the "rat pack".

Duane met Leslie in 1978 and they were married on October 23rd, 1982. They welcomed their daughter, Samantha, in 1987. Duane ran his own custom printing business where he designed and produced business forms and other necessities for local businesses, such as Physicians Automated Laboratory.

In 2009, Duane met Katrina. He was a treasured member of her extended family known as Papa D.

Throughout his life, Duane was fascinated with, and intent on, learning about technology. Starting with dot matrix printing for his business and moving swiftly into building computers and piloting drones, his desire to become an expert in his various hobbies never left him. He is remembered as someone with quick wit and a wealth of intelligence, capable of mastering whatever he put his mind to and keeping with the times. He loved cultivating flowers and fruit trees in his garden.

In the last five years of his life, Duane was dedicated to taking care of his parents. The level of responsibility and devotion given to his parents in order to assure that they lived their years in comfort cannot be understated. His actions spoke to his character and displayed a selfless devotion to his parents, who he loved.

Duane leaves behind his wife of 42 years, Leslie; his partner of 16 years, Katrina; his daughter, Samantha; his brother Fred and his sisters Michele and Ann; and a host of cousins, nieces, nephews and other relatives who are saddened at his passing. He was preceded in death by his mother, Marilyn; his father, Neil; and his sister, Melissa.

A memorial will be held on April 26, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. at All Saint's Church, 2080 Stine Road, Bakersfield, CA 93309.

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