Clyde L. Duncan, Jr. (1935-2021)
Feb. 26—Clyde L. Duncan, Jr., a mechanical engineer and a veteran of the scale industry from Toledo Scale to an independent company he helped found, died Sunday in his South Toledo home. He was 85.
Mr. Duncan, a past commodore of Toledo Yacht Club, suffered heart and kidney failure, said his wife, Pat Duncan.
Mr. Duncan retired in 2006 when he sold Deka Scale Inc., of which he was president. He and two other Toledo Scale colleagues formed the business in 1980.
He'd been in the scale business since 1960 "and said, 'I never got bored,'" his wife said. "He loved people, and he loved the scale business."
Deka Scale was a distributor of Toledo Scale products for business, agriculture, and industry — including glass makers — from when that legacy name was a division of Reliance Electric to its status since the early 1990s in the company Mettler-Toledo.
"Every consumer product touches a scale numerous numerous times," said his son, Scott Duncan, a mechanical engineer employed by Mettler-Toledo. "You know you're making a difference in having accurate and reliable products to make food safer, everything."
In the late 1990s, the auto industry decreed that suppliers' scales had to be calibrated in order to meet quality standards. To serve those suppliers, Deka Scale sought and, two years later, won accreditation. By 2001, Deka Scale was among the larger independent firms of its type, a trade association for weighing and measurement professionals told The Blade.
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Mr. Duncan started when everything was mechanical and retired in an era of electronic scales. Still, "you have to understand mechanics," said his son, whose daughter, Lauren, is a third-generation mechanical engineer.
"Mechanical engineers are such a vitally important part of the scale industry. His aptitude was he was a fast learner," his son said. "Here's a guy in his 80s who had some decent computing skills."
Mr. Duncan held a number of engineering and marketing posts at Toledo Scale, including as manager of systems marketing. He was area manager for northern Ohio, Michigan, and parts of Indiana in 1980 when he and his colleagues formed Deka Scale.
He became Toledo Yacht Club's commodore, meanwhile, in 2000.
"He was very organized, and he was smart. He was people-oriented," his wife said.
The couple liked to take their boat, My Weigh, to Leamington, Ont., and for weekday stays at Put-in-Bay, Ohio. The vessel while docked at the yacht club served as a cottage — a getaway from home, with a pool, dining, and other amenities of the club.
"We met many wonderful people," his wife said. "We had so much fun there."
Mr. Duncan volunteered with Boy Scouts when his sons were members. He was a prostate-cancer survivor and volunteered to speak with cancer patients at ProMedica Toledo Hospital. He also was part of a prayer support group at his church, St. Joseph in Sylvania.
"He was compassionate at helping and understanding," his wife said. "And he loved to talk."
Born Nov. 12, 1935 in Adrian to Gertrude and Clyde Duncan, he was a graduate of Adrian High School. He received a degree in mechanical engineering from Michigan State University. He became a first lieutenant in the Army and served at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.
His son Charles Todd Duncan died Sept. 19, 2005.
Surviving are his wife, Patricia Duncan, whom he married June 19, 1957; son, Scott Duncan, and three grandchildren.
Visitation will be from 3-7 p.m. Friday in the Walker Funeral Home, Sylvania Township, where a Scripture service and a sharing of memories will begin at 6:45 p.m. A memorial Mass will begin at noon Saturday at St. Joseph Church, Sylvania, with a livestream via stjoesylvania.org/158. Facial coverings and social distancing will be required at in-person events.
The family suggests tributes to the church or ProMedica Hospice.
