William Lamar Duncan, Jr.

William Lamar Duncan, Jr., passed away on June 9, 2024, surrounded by loved ones and listening to the sounds of Jimmy Buffett. 

Bill was born in Macon, Georgia, on February 22, 1953, to William Lamar Duncan, Sr., and Anna (DeLorco) Duncan. He spent his childhood palling around with his younger brother Tom and forging lifelong friendships with neighbors and classmates.

After high school, he enlisted in the United States Army, where he served as an Army Salvage Diver. After completing his Army service, Bill graduated from the University of Georgia in 1979 with a degree in Education. He married his wife Pam on August 22, 1981. 

Bill began his long career with Dekalb County Schools as a teacher at Stone Mill Elementary before serving as Assistant Principal at Canby Lane Elementary, Principal at Knollwood Elementary, and Principal at Kingsley Charter Elementary, where he led the creation of the school’s charter. He received many commendations during his long career, including the Milken National Educator Award. 

After many years as a principal, he spent the second phase of his career serving as the Business Manager at St. Brendan the Navigator Catholic Church and sharing his expertise by training teachers and administrators as a Facilitator for Metro RESA, a division of the Georgia Department of Education. 

Bill was passionate about the Army Diver community, planning and attending Army Diver reunions and maintaining deep friendships with many he met through this special connection. Additionally, he loved connecting with veterans through his work as a hospice volunteer, a role that let him make the most of his incredible talent for chit-chat. 

In retirement, Bill traveled extensively with Pam to many international destinations and national parks with his camera slung around his neck to capture photos. Always up for adventure (and on the lookout for a travel deal), he spearheaded trips for his extended family to scuba dive in Curaçao, snow ski in West Virginia, and star gaze at the Grand Canyon, among many other journeys. When he wasn’t traveling, he would often spend weekends at his lake house on Lake Nottely in North Georgia, tackling fix-it projects and treating his grandkids to golf cart and boat rides. 

Bill was a devoted Georgia Bulldogs fan, a world-class phone talker, a talented woodworker, a backyard gardener, a technology enthusiast, a tremendously dedicated friend, and the best, most playful grandpa there ever was.  

He is survived by his wife of 42 years, Pamela (Pritchett) Duncan; his sons and daughters-in-law, Chris and Holly Duncan and Adam and Kayla Duncan; his grandchildren, Graham, Eloise, and Alice Anne Duncan; his brother and sister-in-law, Tom and Joan Duncan of St. Simon’s Island; his sisters- and brothers-in-law Lisa and David Hensley of Ellijay, Georgia, and Michelle and Chris McArthur of Ellijay, Georgia; and many aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, neighbors, and friends.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents and his in-laws, Hayden and Eloise Pritchett of Ellijay, Georgia. 

A funeral mass will be held Friday, June 14 at 2:00 p.m. at St. Brendan the Navigator Catholic Church in Cumming with a reception immediately following the service in the fireside room of the church where friends and family are invited to share memories of Bill.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Winship Cancer Institute or Saint Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. 

Ingram Funeral Home, 210 Ingram Avenue, Cumming, GA 30040.