Duane Apgar

Duane Apgar, age 64 years, of Nanticoke, PA and formerly from Phillipsburg, NJ, passed away suddenly on September 4, 2022, in Phillipsburg, NJ.

Duane was born on May 13th, 1958, in Phillipsburg, to the late Frank, Sr. and Mary (Howell) Apgar. He was the youngest of ten children and was often said to reap the rewards of being the baby of the family.

Duane attended Phillipsburg High School and graduated from Warren County Technical School in 1976. During these years he could often be found at his brother’s auto repair shop. This sparked his love of cars. He used the skills he acquired through watching his brother to buy and fix up cars throughout his life.

Duane was a loyal employee of Tri State Industrial Laundries until 2016. He loved delivering to his many clients each day and enjoyed getting to know them personally.

To say Duane loved Westerns is an understatement. He was known to brag about seeing every episode of Gunsmoke multiple times. He was a huge fan of John Wayne and had a collection of rare John Wayne shot glasses and a cast iron John Wayne statue in his home.

Duane was very passionate about music. He had music playing throughout his day and a large collection of tapes and CDs.  Duane had a very eclectic taste in music which ranged from Steely Dan to Taylor Swift. He felt music very deeply and would often share links to songs with lyrics that conveyed what he was feeling.

Duane was a very kind, empathetic man who once cried over the mistreatment of the character Hoss from the tv show Bonanza. Duane had an incredible sense of humor and enjoyed making people laugh. When a situation was becoming too serious or the atmosphere was too quiet, he would the cut the tension with a well-timed joke that would leave all who were there in stitches.

Duane also loved to fish and had been looking forward to buying his grandsons new fishing poles.

In addition to his parents, Duane was preceded in death by his brothers, Frank Apgar, Jr., Fred Apgar, Gregory Apgar and Keith Apgar.

Duane is survived by his daughter, Rachael Ladd and her husband, Ryan of NJ; his grandsons, Jackson and Cameron; his siblings, Janyce Peck of OH, Richard Apgar, Sr. of NJ, Dennis Apgar and his wife, Kathy of NH, Terry Taylor and husband, Gary of DE, Sherry Curry and her husband, Frank of MA; several nieces and nephews; and many dear friends. Duane was preceded in death by brothers, Frank Apgar Jr, Fred Apgar, Gregory Apgar, and Keith Apgar.

Life celebration services and cremation are private under the direct supervision of Wright & Ford Family Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 38 State Highway 31, Flemington, NJ.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in his memory may be made to Teen Challenge New Jersey, via mail to 245 Stanton Mountain Rd, Lebanon, NJ 08833, or online by clicking HERE.

You are encouraged to visit Duane’s permanent life celebration site at www.wrightfamily.com to light a candle of hope, leave messages of condolence, share words of comfort and recollection, and post photographs of his life.

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Wright & Ford, your local, family owned & operated “Life Celebration Home”

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