Victor Earl Durkee

He was the youngest of four siblings. He graduated from Oneida High School in 1963, where he was a student and member of the football team. He joined the United States Air Force and, after graduating from basic training, promptly married the love of his life, Jean Marie Dunn. Together, they began their family while he was stationed in Germany. He served in the Air Force from 1963 to 1967 and in the Air Force Reserves until 1969, completing his service with the rank of Airman First Class (A1C).

He loved his wife “high as heaven, deep as hell, forever and ever, always and in all ways.”

He lived a life of faith and integrity. He became a member of the Church of the Ascension in 1979, where he was involved with the Knights of Columbus and volunteered for the Food Bank Pantry and the Christian Foundation for Children Unbound. His family knew him as someone who loved and blessed many people easily and often, giving second, third, and fourth chances to those in need. We never heard him express hatred toward anyone. He prayed daily for the “souls most in need of God’s mercy.”

He raised three boys and taught them by example the virtues of being a good man, a devoted father, and a loving husband. Dad’s career with APAC, from 1967 to 2004, required several family relocations, taking them from Oneida, New York, to Beaumont, Texas; Kansas City, Missouri; back to Oneida; and finally to Memphis, Tennessee.

Dad earned an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree from the State University of New York. He continued taking college courses in each of the places we lived. He always stressed the importance of continuing education to everyone he knew, believing it was the best investment anyone could make.

Everywhere our family went always felt like home. We brought our best friends with us on every move. Family game night was almost every night, with everyone participating in a wide variety of games, including Twister, Risk, Monopoly, Life, Battleship, Connect 4, chess, checkers, backgammon, pool, lawn darts (yes, the dangerous ones!), football, baseball, and all types of card games, including cribbage, pitch, and poker.

Our family’s poker prowess is known far and wide, from poker rooms in New Hampshire to Moose Lodges in the South, where a rule was even enacted requiring the Durkees to play at the same table so that only one could move forward.

Dad continued to guide his family as it grew, and annual family vacations were always an important part of that. Everyone was welcome! Whether it was a trip to the beach, the mountains, the lake, or even a staycation in Memphis, each vacation brought more than 20 people together under one roof for a week.

Once Dad retired, he and Mom focused on traveling. They were the royalty of road trips and especially enjoyed bringing their grandchildren along for the adventures. They visited family, friends, and assorted roadside Americana, from Carhenge to the world's largest rocking chair. A few hundred miles out of the way was never a problem!

They kept a map in their garage marking all the places they had traveled, with 116 pins documenting their adventures and the memories they made along the way.

He was a true patriarch and will be deeply missed by so many, both inside and outside of our family. We were truly blessed to have had him for as long as we did, and the depth of our grief is matched only by the depth of his love for all of us.

Victor was preceded in death by his parents, and his grandson and namesake, Victor Earl Durkee.

He leaves behind his wife, Jean Durkee; three children, Michael David Durkee (Karen), Mark Daniel Durkee (Kathy), Mathew Joseph Durkee (Michele), and three siblings, Ronald Durkee (Jeanne), Rachel Schuck, and Bernice Wilson.

Victor also leaves behind 11 grandchildren: Nathaniel Durkee, Sean Durkee (Laura), Joshua Durkee (Murphy), Kayla Stevenson (Joseph), Elijah Durkee, Kevin Wasmund, Jr., Jamie Lynn Hill (William), Ashley Nelson (Nicholas), Amelia McCadams (Sam), Luke Durkee (Katherine), Abigail Durkee, and 11 great-grandchildren: Griffin Durkee, Owen Durkee, Cannon Durkee, Reagan Stevenson, Destiny Rivera (Jose Alberto), Serenity Rivera, Annalee Estep, Arianna Hill, Alexi Hill, Theodore Nelson, and Eliana Nelson.

A Mass will be held on Thursday, November 12, 2026, at 10:00 AM at Catholic Church of the Ascension, 3680 Ramill Rd Memphis, TN. A Celebration of Life will follow at 2:00 PM with Visitation beginning at 1:00 PM at Collierville Funeral Home, 3863 Bailey Station Rd Collierville, TN 38017 with a catered reception.

In Lieu of flowers the family request donations to be made to the Catholic Church of Ascension Food Pantry, https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/help-feed-the-community-no-one-deserves-to-go-hungry