Michael Ray Duncan

The family of Michael (Mike) Ray Duncan, 74, of King, announces with deep sorrow and great sadness the passing of Mike on November 16, 2025, following a lengthy battle with severe lung issues. Mike was surrounded by the people he loved most.

Mike was born in the community of Francisco, in the mountains of Stokes County, on November '18, 1951, to the late Benjamin Hasting Duncan and Nora Lee Craddock Duncan. Mike was blessed to have lived on a farm with ten siblings: Catherine Hill, Nancy Woods, Shirley Marshall, Betty Ring, Doris Sams, Billy, Joe, James, and Bobby. Sadly, Virginia Mae Duncan was a sister who passed away as an infant.

Michael graduated from North Stokes High School in 1969. He then proudly served his country in the US Navy during the Vietnam War from 1970 to 1974, traveling the Gulf of Tonkin on board the USS Savannah,
leaving the Navy as an E3 Chief Petty Officer Third Class. Mike continued to serve his country as a lifetime member of the VFW Post 9436 in Pilot Mountain, NC. Mike also served with the Honor Guard, honoring other service members and their families upon the service member's death. Mike was proud of his country, proud to be a Navy man, proud to be a member of the VFW, and was a Navy man through and through, but never forgetting his life and the people he loved, who were so rooted in Stokes County.

After returning from the military, Mike received a degree in air and refrigeration from Forsyth Community College while working for RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company, where he gained a special family of friends, retiring after 33 years of service. Mike also ran a successful side business, Duncan Refrigeration, serving local restaurants, stores, and residences.

After traveling a long and broken road in life, Mike married his true love and best friend, Linda Cornett. Linda cherished every day with this man of few words but of great strength, character, and determination, showing each other genuine love and respect. They built not just a marriage but a partnership for 17 years. Linda cared for him through his many months of debilitating illness.

Michael was blessed with two daughters, whom he loved and cherished: Michelle Duncan Ward (Brad), and Crystal Duncan Larrimore; two grandsons, Cody and Blake Larrimore, (Allen Larrimore, a special
son-in-law), and three granddaughters, Kyla, Claire, and Abi Schnee. Mike loved his two girls and five grandchildren with all his heart and was so proud of each of them.

Mike was a quiet, soft-spoken, and caring man who found strength and serenity through his dedicated involvement in a caring fellowship of men and women, giving back to them when they felt broken and in need of a helping hand. Mike always shared his own experiences, offering strength and hope to those open to receiving it. Mike lived his life with valor and honor, always letting go and letting God guide him one day at a time, never forgetting the many blessings God had bestowed upon him.

Mike always had a group of friends who prayed for him through his life’s journey. Among this group of friends, Mike had a special bond with Keith Pike, who felt more like a brother, for their shared love of riding motorcycles and experiencing years of God’s blessings. We don't get to pick our family, but we can choose our friends. Keith was certainly a friend whom Mike was always indebted to for their years of shared friendship, fellowship, life experiences, and many motorcycle adventures, including motorcycle.
rallies. Mike enjoyed the freedom of riding his Harley and the connection it gave him to the great outdoors of America. Mike had a saying: “Riding a motorcycle gets the cobwebs out of your head.”

Mike, being a believer, prayed throughout the day, having the faith and trust that we should turn our problems over to God. Only He has the power to solve our problems, not man.

The family is requesting that, instead of flowers, donations be made to the American Heart Association.

The Celebration of Life Service will be on Saturday, November 22, 2025, at Slate Funeral Home, 132 E Dalton Rd, King, NC 27021. The family will receive friends from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm. The Service will follow at 1:15 pm. Interment will immediately follow at King Memorial Park on E. King St., King, NC, with a Military Funeral Honors Ceremony.

Slate Funeral Home is honored to serve the family of Michael (Mike) Ray Duncan. Online condolences may be offered at www.slatefh.com.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Michael Ray Duncan, please visit our floral store.