Worthington High Schools Alumni Club - Deceased Classmates
First Name
Duane
Maiden Name
Last Name
Pelkey
Passing Date
12/4/2025
Class Attended
1957
High School
Worthington High School
Duane Chester Pelkey (86) of Heath Ohio, beloved husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, teammate, and friend went home to be with his Lord and Savior on December 4th, 2025. Duane was born in Elm Grove, West Virginia on February 18, 1939 to the late Orville Pelkey and Edna (Hartlieb) Pelkey and the younger brother of the late Phyllis (Pelkey) Facer. At the age of two, the family moved to Columbus, Ohio, later settling in Worthington. There, he was an active Boy Scout who earned his Eagle Scout badge, a Little League athlete, and proudly ran his own newspaper route. At Thomas Worthington High School, Duane was a four- sport varsity athlete, competing in basketball, baseball, cross country, and track. His athletic excellence culminated in winning state in the high hurdles his senior year. Duane attended Capital University, where he continued competing in basketball and track and was later inducted into the Hall of Fame. It was here he met his wife of 64 years, Ruth Ann (Blackmore) Pelkey during freshman orientation. They married in 1961. After graduating both started careers in education in Columbus Public Schools. His teaching was disrupted by being called into active duty with the Air National Guard during the Berlin Crisis. Duane later became a principal for most of his 30 year career. In 1968, they moved to Johnstown, Ohio where they raised their two daughters, Jane (Bobby) Burton and Mary Ann (Terry) Grainger. He never missed a game, meet, or performance for either daughter. This support continued on to the grandchildren, Jake (Kara) Hollis, Megan (Tim) Congrove, Blake (Jessica) Burton, Matt (Kendall) Hollis, Jordan Grainger, and Aubrey Grainger. Most recently, he cherished spending time with and seeing pictures of his six great grandchildren, Elliott, Cade, Tate, Crew, Calum, and Hattie. Duane was a constant presence in the lives of every member of his family for events large or small. Besides cheering for the hometown Johnstown Johnnies, Duane was a lifelong fan of the Ohio State Buckeyes, The Cincinnati Reds, and the Cleveland Browns. While he was often disappointed in game outcomes, his support continued year after year. His love of golf was something else he was known for. He especially enjoyed playing it, but also loved watching it, and reading about it. He even volunteered at Burnside Golf course to get in some free playing time. Duane’s love of competition meant every family or friend gathering included some kind of game. If you visited the Pelkey’s, there would be a game and Duane was playing to win. Duane was most importantly and perhaps most well-known for his unwavering faith in God. He was the patriarch of the family demonstrating and living his faith on every occasion. He also was a member of many churches in his lifetime, but was more than just a member. He was a youth group leader, going on many mission trips to serve others, a session leader, an elder, a jail ministry participant, and a prayer warrior. His last wish was to save a place in heaven for his wife, daughters and sons in law, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
