Duane Beecher (1955-2021)

BEECHER, MORGAN, KLAUER

Posted By: Ken Wright (email)
Date: 6/21/2021 at 17:59:28

On June 18, 2021, Duane Beecher, finally got to leave the body that has tried to hold him down for 28 years.

Visitation will be from 10:00 am until 12 Noon, Saturday, June 26, 2021 at Hoffmann Schneider & Kitchen Funeral Home and Cremation Service, 3860 Asbury Road, Dubuque.

The Celebration of Duane’s Life will begin at 12 Noon, at the funeral home, on Saturday, June 26, 2021. The service will be live streamed on Hoffmann Schneider & Kitchen Funeral Home’s Facebook page and will also be available to view later at www.hskfhcares.com.

Duane was born on January 30, 1955, the son of John “Jack” Beecher and Flora Lue (Morgan) Beecher. He attended Resurrection Grade School and graduated from Wahlert High School. On August 31, 1973, he married the love of his life, JoAnne Klauer. Together they created four beautiful sons and were foster parents and daycare providers.

Duane worked at Beecher Gas Station, the company started by his grandfather and the place where he met his future wife. He went on to work for Beecher Quarries, Tschiggfrie Excavating, River City Stone and eventually IEI Barge Services as a heavy equipment operator and truck driver. He took great pride in his work, even when he was severely challenged by Iowa winters and summers. He was always the guy who was there for everybody…no matter what they needed.

In 1993, Duane’s body started to rebel. Over the next 28 years, he was bombarded by one ailment after another. There were good times and very bad times…but through it all, Duane and JoAnne kept loving and living and fighting back. In 2003 he was diagnosed with laryngeal cancer and started the fight for his life. He endured the cancer treatment with grace and dignity. He eventually had his larynx removed. He learned to speak esophageal speech and was very proud that he could be good at a technique that is very difficult. Duane looked forward to the Cancer Society Relay for Life each year. He walked nine times as a Cancer Survivor. Five years ago, the radiation damage took its toll on his body. He went to the Mayo Clinic where he had to have his esophagus removed. This meant that his wonderful method of speech was now impossible, and he would never again be able to eat, BUT, Duane always had a smile on his face and a kind word for everyone he met.

The last five years were very difficult, and it was hard for him to keep going. He was getting tired, and the fight was very hard. After a final fight in the hospital, he quietly rose to heaven surrounded by his family in the home that they all shared for 42 years.

Duane is survived by his wife of nearly 48 years and his four sons, Tim (Molly) of Dubuque, Jeff of Dubuque, Andy (Jennifer) of Davenport and Ed of Dubuque. He has also left nine grandchildren with another on the way: Evan, Maddie, Emily, Ally, Sam, Bailey, Paisley, Roman and River. He is also survived by his siblings, Mike (Connie) of Sedalia, Missouri, Marty (Sandy) of Panama City, Florida, Joe (Vickey) of Oskaloosa, Iowa, John of Dubuque, and Christina Baron of Chicago, Illinois; two aunts, Betty Beecher and Pat Maiers; lots of nieces, nephews and cousins and his two little dogs, Willow and Norman, who were his greatest source of smiles in his life.

Duane is preceded in death by his parents, Jack and Flora Beecher; his in-laws, Herbert and Bernadette Klauer; all of his grandparents, and three brothers-in-law that he thought the world of.

The family would like to thank all the people who gave special care to Duane over all of these years: Dr. John Hartmann, Dr. Tim King, Dr. Ryan Stille, Dr, Mark Janes, Dr. K. Robert Shen, the wonderful nurses at MercyOne in Dubuque and in the ICU and the 6th floor at St. Mary’s Mayo Hospital in Rochester and a special thanks to Nurse Sandy Radke, who along with Duane, started a Laryngectomee Support Group so other survivors of laryngeal cancer could tell their stories. Thank you to Lincare Home Medical Equipment and MercyOne Home Medical Equipment for their great service. Thank you to the pharmacists at HyVee on Locust in Dubuque and of course, thank you to Hospice of Dubuque. There have been so many people involved in making Duane’s life a little easier for him and they will all tell you what a sweet and loving patient that he was to take care of.

Duane loved his gardens and nature in general. It would be his wish that you do not send cut flowers to the funeral home, but would greatly prefer that you send a plant, plant some flowers, go for a walk in the woods, or plant a tree to be a reminder of the life of this wonderful man.

Hoffmann Schneider & Kitchen Funeral Home and Cremation Service is in care of the arrangements.