01/05/2026
David Al Duncan passed from this life peacefully on January 1, 2026, exactly the way he would have wanted to: at home and in the arms of the one he loved after sharing a perfect day. After a long hard battle with cancer, God mercifully granted him a perfect and peaceful death.
Celebration of life services will be held at Hillside Christian Church, 6100 S. Soncy Rd., at 3:00 P.M., Thursday, January 8, 2026. A visitation and moments to share stories will follow the service in the Fellowship Hall.
David was born on May 29, 1962 to Arnie and Jeanette Duncan, parents he deeply loved and felt so blessed to have. He lived a full and wonderful life. Given a natural gift of athleticism, David’s first love was baseball. It was more than a recreational sport to him; it was his dream. After years of little league and club ball, David was proudly the only sophomore on the varsity baseball team at Amarillo High. The smell of fresh cut grass often caused him to reminisce about his love of the game and the comradery of his teammates. He felt most alive and most himself on the baseball field. After being accepted to Lubbock Christian College on a baseball scholarship, he decided before the end of the first day that it wasn’t the place he was meant to be. He accepted an offer to play baseball and attend Seward County Junior College in Seward, Kansas, where he began to regularly be followed by scouts. His dream came true in 1982 when he got a call from the Philadelphia Phillies, inviting him to the draft. He would always smile recalling hitting 8 out of 10 off of Steve Carlton and outrunning W***y Wilson in a race to first base – three times! Though he was extremely fast and had a batting average of 550, the scout who had been following him told him that his arm was weak. They were going to make him an offer, but looking at David’s excellent academic record as a pre-dental major, he advised him not to take the offer and hang up his glove to pursue his education and become a dentist.
He was grateful for that advice, and that is what he did. David married Janet Lovvorn of Stamford, TX in 1982 and transferred to West Texas State University in Canyon, TX to finish his prerequisites, then applied and was accepted to all three dental schools in Texas. He decided to attend UT Health San Antonio School of Dentistry. After graduating in 1989, he moved back home to Amarillo and started a family and a distinguished dental career, having his son Austin Wayne Duncan in 1991. He quickly became involved in the Panhandle District Dental Society and served in many roles over the years, including President. His local leadership gained the attention of the Texas Dental Association (TDA), where he served over the years on the Committee of New Dentists; Council on Dental Education, Trade and Ancillaries; the Board of Directors; Council on Legislative and Regulatory Affairs (his favorite Council); President-Elect; and President of the Texas Dental Association from 2013-2015 after being asked to serve a second term. He simultaneously served the American Dental Association, being appointed to two of the most prestigious councils of the ADA, the Council on Dental Practice and ADPAC.
David attended Paramount Terrace Christian Church, serving as an Elder and the Chairman of the Personnel Committee, as well as the Pastor Search Committee which led to the transition of Hillside Christian Church. It was one of his greatest joys to be a part of the group of investors that donated the land on which Hillside Christian Church stands today. He was a longtime member of a men’s group at Hillside, meeting weekly on Thursday mornings to deepen his faith and support his friends who needed encouragement and prayer. His life was always led by prayer and service, and he was quietly generous to many in order to bless others.
He had a love of horses, and a single horse that he purchased as a gift for his son turned into a passion. One horse multiplied to many, and riding horses turned into breeding cutting horses, even winning the Palomino World Cutting Championship on his prize horse Sweetie.
Doing nothing half-way, he became the team dentist for the Amarillo Gorillas hockey team, which was a thrill not only for him but for his entire family. He became part owner of the team and eventually took full ownership. He was also the team dentist for the Amarillo Bulls junior hockey team.
He sold his private dental practice and went to work for Hawkins Dental Group for the last 5 years of his career until his cancer moved into his brain, making it no longer possible to practice the career he loved. Though the transition to retired life took time, he quickly fell back on the standard he lived by: looking for the good and the blessings in all things. He came to enjoy morning coffees on his screened-in porch and long talks with the love of his life. He often joked that he knew he was officially retired when he started doing what retired people do: going to doctors appointments. He enjoyed feeding the deer that daily dined in his yard and providing food for the birds that surrounded his refuge. He found comfort in the multitude of cardinals that resided around his home and saw them as a sign of the presence of God’s angels around him. He settled into a rhythm of peace and contentment, tending to life’s most important things, namely the people in his life, his family, and his God.
He was incredibly proud of his son, Austin Wayne Duncan, for the many gifts he had been given, including being an accomplished musician, an artist/graphic designer, web designer, and currently the associate pastor of Crosswalk Church in Brentwood, TN. Being an athlete, David knew nothing about music. When Austin took up the violin, David began listening to classical music in order to learn and to connect with what was important to his son. As Austin became an adult, they enjoyed long phone calls and conversations, where David learned about music, the Beatles, guitars, and was fascinated with his son’s ability to learn any skill on Youtube. If it was important to someone he loved, it became a subject of interest for him.
He married his best friend of 35 years who became the love of his life, Linda Joy Carder on July 3, 2025. He officially gained three “bonus kids,” all of which he held on the day of their births and whom he loved their whole lives. He especially enjoyed being “Pop” to a grandson, Jones Alan Thompson.
Of all of the many professional accomplishments in his life, he valued his relationships above all else. His greatest joy was being David to his family, Dad to his son, Dave-O to his friends, and Pop to his three “bonus kids” and grandson.
He was preceded in death by his grandparents, Mary Maude and Cecil Culver, Jr. of Groom, TX, Eula Fae and Iven Stokes of Amarillo; a brother-in-law, Leslie Lovvorn of Canadian; and an uncle, Larry Lester of Amarillo. He is survived by his wife, Linda Carder Duncan of Canyon; his son, Austin Wayne Duncan, and wife, Cassy, of Murfreesboro, TN; his three “bonus kids”, Gina Astuto Thompson, husband Jacob and grandson, Jones, of Fort Worth, TX, Tony Astuto of Providence, RI, and Allie Astuto of Dallas, TX, who was also his special god-daughter; his parents, Arnie and Jeanette Duncan of Amarillo, his mother-in-love, Joan Carder Jackson of Amarillo; his sister, Jamie Duncan Lovvorn of Amarillo; nieces and nephews that he loved dearly; and many friends that he considered family.
Donations in memory of David may be made to the Harrington Cancer Survivorship Center, 1732 Hagy Blvd, Amarillo, TX 79106.
Sign the online guestbook at www.boxwellbrothers.com.
