Edward Joseph Duncan

Edward Joseph Duncan (“Ed”) reunited with his beloved wife, Elizabeth, on November 6, 2020. He was the fourth of nine children born to George and Sadie Duncan on March 19, 1940 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Ed and Elizabeth married in Halifax on September 24, 1960, and together they had four wonderful children. In 1978, Ed and Elizabeth loaded up their station wagon with personal belongings, the four kids, and two cats, and together the family drove across Canada to resettle in Esquimalt, British Columbia.

From 1958-1990, Ed proudly served his country as a Petty Officer 1^st class in the Engine Room with the Royal Canadian Navy on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. In this role, he served on multiple peacekeeping missions around the world, and would often regale his grandchildren with stories of his travels. Ed’s service to his community did not end following his retirement from the Navy. He then went on to serve as a Commissionaire for the District of Oak Bay, and the City of Victoria Parking Services Section. Ed was known to frequently stop and chat with tourists, business owners, and community members and – with apologies to the City – to rip up the parking ticket of any driver that he saw frantically running back to their car.

Throughout 54 years of marriage, Ed and Elizabeth were best friends and inseparable. They never missed Buccaneer Days, the Victoria Day Parade, or the Saanich Fair. Together their days were spent sharing countless Starbucks coffee dates, working around the house and garden, shopping at Thrifty’s, watching the nightly news, and spending time with their family. They fiercely loved their children and grandchildren, and proudly attended every hockey practice, every diving meet, every school production.

Always athletic, Ed worked out daily at either the Esquimalt Recreation Centre or the Naden Athletic Centre and was known to bring his grandchildren to work out with him. He was endlessly talented at darts, which he played at the Monterey Recreation Centre in Oak Bay. In 2011, he scored a perfect 180, the first perfect turn ever recorded at Monterey.

In 2016, Ed returned to Nova Scotia for a family reunion with his sister, brothers, and extended family. He revelled in each and every family activity during the trip.

Ed was a trickster and loved to make people smile. He was frugal, never turned the heat on a day in his life, and undoubtedly would raise his eyebrows at the cost of this obituary. But simultaneously, he was endlessly generous. He was our sweet and kind man with a heart of gold. He never met a dog or a dessert he didn’t like. He loved coffee, the Canucks, and Johnny Cash, but most of all he loved his family. He relished his role as Dad, Papa, and Grand-Papa.

All who met Ed liked Ed. And all who knew Ed loved Ed.

His memory will be carried in our hearts forever. He is predeceased by his wife, Elizabeth, and is survived by his children Edward, Laura Angrove (Mike), Joseph, and Elizabeth Scott (Dale); and family back east. Grandchildren Gillian (Ben), Christopher, Rachael, Michael (Veronica), Robert, and Kyla, and Great-Grandchildren Ellie and Bea will lovingly remember their Papa forever. In lieu of flowers, please be kind to someone in Ed’s honour, share a coffee with a loved one, or make a donation to the Alzheimer Society of Canada https://alzheimer.ca/en or the Canadian Cancer Society https://www.cancer.ca/en/?region=bc. 

Condolences may be offered to the family below.

McCall Gardens
www.mccallgardens.com