Joseph E. Duncan

DUNCAN JOSEPH E. DUNCAN Devoted Husband, Father, Brother and Mentor Joseph E. Duncan passed away suddenly at his family home in Paris, Virginia on January 12, 2012. He was 63 years old. Joseph was born April 15, 1948 in St. Paul, Minnesota, the oldest son of Ervin and Marjorie Duncan. Joe graduated from Hill High School in St. Paul, and received his BA in philosophy and physics from the University of Minnesota. Conducting research on some of the earliest aspects of computer database management, Joe began his life's work at the Harvard's Laboratory of Psychophysics in the 1970s. Over the next 35 years he drove technology in computer database design and development for a number of leading companies, holding leadership positions in development at Wang, Borland, and Lotus Corporations. He was a Senior Vice President for Tools at Oracle Corporation, CIO and Critical Path, Founder and CEO of the Wildwest Technologies Group. He was widely respected for the way he carried out his business; his passion and dedication to the projects he directed was matched only by the personal sacrifices he made to bring companies to life and to manage them through challenging times. Joe's interests and passions reached well beyond the world of technology. He was a gifted musician, a talented writer of prose fiction and poetry and an avid golfer and sportsman, who twice completed the San Francisco marathon. An excellent cook and lover of fine wine, he was never so happy as when he was sharing a meal with family and close friends. Joe is immediately survived by his wife of 35 years, Shannon, his daughter Emily, son-in-law Jason Heffernan and granddaughter Waverly; his sister Mary; brothers Michael, James and Stephen. He will be deeply missed by his family and by the many employees he mentored. Honest and open, his legacy will live on through those people he worked with as they continue to strive for the high standards that Joe expected and live by. A memorial service in his honor will be held at Trinity Episcopal Church in Upperville, Virginia on January 28 at 1 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests tax-deductible donations be made in Joe's memory to the Levis Scholarship Fund of Trinity's Piedmont Childcare Center, P.O. Box 244, Upperville, Virginia 20185, or International Catholic Relief Services (http://crs.org/donate).(http://crs.org/donate).