Lester Duke

Mr. Lester Duke of the Hiwassee Community died at 1 a.m. Thursday morning October 23, 2025 on his 71st birthday with his family at his bedside. He was pronounced deceased at 4:44 a.m. by Gentiva Hospice of Livingston.
At his request, he was at the Carthage Chapel of Sanderson Funeral Home where arrangements were made for a graveside service at the Gene Butler Cemetery in the Brooks Bend Community of Jackson County. Interment was near his daughter Dawn, following the 1 p.m. Monday October 27th graveside funeral services which were conducted by his pastor, Bro. Jimmy Green.
The Duke Family will receive friends at the graveside following the 1 p.m. service.
He was the eighth of ten children born to Lester Carlos Duke Sr. who died at the age of 44 on October 29, 1962 and Kathleen (Dean) Woodard Duke who died at the age of 75 on January 13, 1995 and was born Lester Carlos Duke Jr. at the former Petty-Green Clinic in Carthage on October 23, 1954.
Mr. Duke tragically suffered the loss of his only daughter, Janet Dawn Duke who died on October 25, 2013 at the age of 29.
His first sibling to precede him in death was Roger Gale Duke who died March 4, 2022 at the age of 72.
Mr. Duke was a longtime employee of the former New Jersey Zinc, Pasminco and Nysrtar Mines in Gordonsville and following the closing of the mine the last time he was employed at the Quality Center for Health and Rehabilitation in Lebanon.
He attended the Trinity Full Gospel Pentecostal Church in South Carthage.
Surviving is his girlfriend, Ann Holliman, two sons, Lester Carlos Duke III of Lebanon, Jonathan Duke and girlfriend Amanda Padgett of the Pleasant Shade Community; eight surviving siblings, Elizabeth Duke Butler of South Carthage, Thelma Duke Perry of the Lock Seven Community, David Duke and wife Annette of Pensacola, Florida, Raymond Duke, James Duke and wife Sandra all of the Hiwassee Community, Linda Sullivan of McMinnville, Frankie Duke of Lebanon and Shirley Duke Rich and husband Tim of Crossville; seven grandchildren James Johnson and Laura Duke of Mount Juliet, Kaleb Duke and Alicia Duke both of the Hiwassee Community, Andreas Maye of Cary, North Carolina, Alyssa Padgett and Ethan Padgett both of the Pleasant Shade Community.