Duane Edwin Erwin was born to Noble and Myrtle Erwin of Lynnville, Indiana, on December 20, 1942. He was a proud Vietnam veteran who served in the U.S. Army and earned a Purple Heart. After returning home from the service, he started working for Alcoa in the tool crib, where he made many lifelong friends, cooked a lot of breakfast, played a lot of cards, and no one is sure if he worked a day in his life.

Duane was a devoted and loving family man, leaving behind his wife of nearly 50 years, Brenda; his five children, Sherry (Mark) Taber, Mark (Gail) Erwin, Michael (Tammy) Erwin, Kari (Scott) Zella, and Nicole (Lonnie) Ziliak; 12 grandchildren, Aaron, Joshua, Jacob, Samantha, Stephanie, Dalton, Nicole, Kaci, Jaci, Graci, Kyler, and Brylee; 14 great-grandchildren; sister, Judy (Charles A.) Engelhardt; and several nieces and nephews.

Duane was very dedicated to his community. In the 70s he was the Elberfeld town marshal. He went on to serve as the president of the Elberfeld Town Council for 20+ years. After Duane’s passing, the Elberfeld Town Hall was renamed the “Duane E. Erwin Municipal Building” in his honor. Being a volunteer fireman was always a dream of his. When the application process opened, he was fast to apply. He went on to serve on the Elberfeld Volunteer Fire Department for 25 years. At the time of his death, Duane was acting engineer and proclaimed driver of Engine 51. Duane was also a member of the Elberfeld Kiwanis Club, Lynnville Masonic Lodge #396, Elberfeld American Legion Post 351, VFW Post 2710, Campbell Township Conservation Club, and a founding member of the Erie Canal Beagle Club.

Duane was always up for a big breakfast and coffee on the porch. He enjoyed farming, watching NASCAR, fishing, storytelling, Merle Haggard, and a good game of clabber. In his prime, Duane enjoyed playing softball and later went on to coach various youth softball teams in the area. Duane never missed a ballgame his grandkids were playing in or their school events. He lived by two rules: (1) He was always right, (2) Refer back to #1.

Duane lived for the fire tones to go off and took much pride in being a volunteer fireman. He went out on top, making his final run hours before his departure. He is dearly missed by his family, friends, and his fellow firemen, but we know every time Engine 51 rolls out, Duane is watching over us all.