Monroe “Monty” Clyde Duerksen was born August 7, 1933, in Hillsboro, Kansas to the late Henry and Marie Duerksen. Monty went to join his Heavenly Father on February 25, 2020 at Homestead Memory Care in Olathe, Kansas. He was preceded in death by his wife of 60 years, Shirley; and two sisters, Aldene Stucky and Janice Dyck. He is survived by his sister, Leona Arthurs; two brothers, Dillard Duerksen and Jay Duerksen; two daughters, Angie (Arlan) of Lenexa, Kansas and Jill (Matt) of Overland Park, Kansas; five grandchildren, Stephanie (Ben), Lindsay (Andrew), Nicole, Josh (Megan) and McKenna; and five great grandchildren, Esther, Keira, Micah, Luka and Ivy.
Monty graduated from Newton High School in 1951. Monty’s love for barbershop began when his high school choir director recruited him to sing lead of the quartet, The Newtones. After high school, he enlisted in the United States Army and was stationed at Fort Carson in Colorado Springs. While there, he put up a bulletin board notice seeking quartet singers and thus was born his first barbershop society quartet, the Spring Singers. During his Army career, Monty sang with the Alexandria Harmonizers. After leaving the service in 1955, he attended Bethel College in Newton, KS - studying Biology and Pre-Med. During his time at Bethel, he met his wife, Shirley, at a barbershop event and was united with her in Holy Matrimony on August 2, 1958 in Newton, Kansas. After graduation, he then entered into pharmaceutical sales, which led them to Emporia, Kansas in 1961, where they then started a family. While in Emporia, he directed the Flint Hills Chorus and commuted to Wichita to sing with the Cavaliers. From Emporia, Monty and Shirley moved to Lenexa, Kansas in 1985, and he sang with the Heart of America Chorus. He sang with numerous barbershop quartets during his career and earned his Barbershop Harmony Society 70 year pin in May of 2019.
Monty had a heart for people and was always on the move to bring joy and goodness to the world.
A visitation will be 6-8pm, Friday, February 28, 2020 at the McGilley & Hoge Chapel, 8024 Santa Fe Drive, Overland Park, Kansas 66204. His funeral service will be 11am, Saturday, February 29 at Community Covenant Church, 15700 W. 87th Street Parkway, Lenexa, Kansas 66219. Private burial in Leavenworth National Cemetery, Leavenworth, Kansas.
Memorial Contributions may be given in his name to the Alzheimer’s Association, Heart of America Chapter, 3846 W. 75th Street, Prairie Village, Kansas 66208.
