Duane Leon Sawyer

Funeral Services for Duane Leon Sawyer, 74, Lawrence, will be 2:30 pm, Tuesday, December 19, 2023, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 3615 W 10th St, Lawrence, KS 66049. A Visitation will be from 1:45 to service time. Burial with honors will follow at Oakwood Cemetery in Baldwin City, Kansas.

He died December 14, 2023, in Eudora.

Duane was born July 5, 1949, in Gardner, Kansas; son of Leon and Marie Sawyer.

As a boy he thought the 4th of July was for his birthday. His father moved Duane and his mom to Lawrence when he was 1 year, before he left for the navy during World War 2. Duane graduated from Lawrence High in 1967.

He attended Kansas University until his draft number came up for the Vietnam War. He then decided to join the US Navy. He was sent to Nuclear Power school in Idaho for training. He was then accepted into the NECP Program and sent to study at Purdue University in Indiana in Aug. 1971. At Purdue he met Denise Sawyer, and they were married on Oct 14, 1972.

He was sent to England for Satellite Training and was sent to the USS Enterprise to set up a satellite system on the ship. Duane completed 12 years of active duty and then several years in the reserves until he retired from the Navy. In civilian life, He worked for a computer maintenance company, traveling to company sites to maintain their computer systems. In 1988 he moved back to Lawrence, his hometown. He worked at Honeywell as an Engineer Tech until 2006. He was diagnosed with Brain cancer in 2006 and went through 19 months of Chemo and six weeks radiation. The brain cancer has been stable since this time. He moved to Homestead Assisted living in Eudora Kansas in Aug. 2022 when he needed more care. He succumbed to Covid when it went through the community. Homestead has been wonderful with his care. He passed away on Dec 14, 2023.

Duane leaves his wife Denise of 51 married years. 6 children: son, Stefan Sawyer (Stacy) of Lawrence; daughter, Miriam Slaugh (Joe) of Lawrence; daughter, Estella McCollum (Charley) of La Grange, Ohio; Son, Samuel Sawyer of Perry; Son, Michael Sawyer (Emily) of Cross Plains, Wisconsin; and son, William Sawyer (Kara) of Saratoga Springs, Utah.

Other Survivors: 2 sisters, Janis Miskimins and Jeannie Sawyer- Rummer. Mother-Rosa Marie Sawyer, also living at Homestead in Eudora, KS. 14 Grandchildren: Abigail, Nathan, Brody, Jacob, Kyan, Phoenix, Montogomery, Memphis and Preston Sawyer; Savannah, Sierra and Sydnee McCollum; Hailey Carr and Joseph Slaugh. 2 great granddaughters: Maifire Sawyer and Chloe Carr. 2 grandchildren proceeded him in death: Taylor and Emily Sawyer.

Messages & Condolences

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From Linda Lowman...

Sorry for your loss Denise💕My condolences to you & your family.

From Gail & Frances Sawyer...

Sorry for your loss, but no more suffering:

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