Barbara Craig Duke (Bobbye, Nana), age 83, passed away peacefully March 31, 2021 in Jupiter, Florida. She was born October 19, 1936 in Ocala, Florida to Byron and Lela Craig, attended Ocala High School, received an undergraduate degree in education from Louisiana State University, and taught elementary school in New Orleans, Louisiana. She married her childhood friend and love of her life, Dr. James Roy Duke, Jr., in May 1958 and moved to North Palm Beach, Florida in 1967.
Bobbye loved to love on people. She was a loving wife and dedicated mother first and foremost and a commensurate caretaker of all she knew, opening her home with her kindness, warmth, and sense of humor. Bobbye had a passion for cooking, entertaining and making everyone feel at home, and she was renowned in her North Palm Beach neighborhood for welcoming children and adults to her meals, Halloween parties, and to share a laugh. She made friends everywhere she went and left each new person with a smile. Bobbye was dedicated to serving others, including her service as a member of the Junior League of the Palm Beaches, a Board Member of Hospice of Palm Beach County (Trustbridge Hospice Foundation) and a supporter of the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation.
Bobbye is survived by her husband of 62 years, James Roy Duke, Jr., MD of Jupiter, Florida; sister, Jan Lemasters of Atlanta, Georgia; daughter, Denise Duke of Decatur, Georgia; and son, Christopher Scott Duke, daughter-in-law, Jennifer Bautista Duke, grandson, James Roger Duke, and granddaughter, GraceAnn Teresa Duke of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations made in her honor to the Alzheimer’s Association, act.alz.org/donate; Trustbridge Hospice Foundation, trustbridgefoundation.org/general-donation-landing-page; and Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, jdrf.org/donate.
A memorial service will be announced by the family at a later date.