Duane M. Hollis, 77

Duane M. Hollis, 77 of Sun City, Ariz., passed away Jan. 18, 2022. Duane was born Dec. 23, 1944, in Fairland, Okla., the youngest of the five children of Earl and Gladys (Pogue) Hollis.

In 1950 Duane’s family moved to Mt. Hood, Ore., where he attended first grade. His family later moved to Hood River, Ore., where he finished grade school. In 1956 the family relocated to Kellogg, Idaho, where Duane graduated from Kellogg High School in 1963. After graduating, he joined the U.S. Navy and was a Vietnam veteran serving on the Franklin D. Roosevelt aircraft carrier.

After his discharge from the Navy, he moved to Seattle, worked for Boeing and married. He and his then wife Cheryl Hollis and Daughter Brenda moved to Kansas City when Duane was hired by Frontier Airlines. Frontier eventually transferred him to Denver in 1974 as a customer service representative. After working in the airline industry, he established a successful Real Estate career. Throughout his career, he was always an active member of Realtor associations and served as the Director of the Board for the Aurora Association of Realtors. He served on many committees and headed several charities, recreational and social activities within the boards. Duane then moved to Arizona in 2002 and continued his real estate career there for another 18-plus years before he fully retired in 2021.

During his time in Arizona, he pursued his passion for motorcycle riding which began when he was in his 20s and bought his first Honda. He graduated to Harleys and belonged to motorcycle groups in Colorado and Phoenix where he shared so many wonderful experiences with his longtime friend Vickie Todd and an abundance of friends that he made through his clubs and other organizations that he was a part of. One of his proudest achievements was planning and completing a 48-state, 50-day motorcycle ride, by himself, on his Harley, at the age of 74. He was a dedicated recorder of his journey through his daily postings and photos on social media.

Another pleasure in Duane’s life was writing about his thoughts, feelings, philosophies and experiences and sharing them with others. Something Duane wrote about life and could be found in many of his writings, was this:

“Each of us were brought into this world without authorization and we must make the best of what life has given us. We have just one life to live and I have lived mine. We can’t change the past. We must live in the present. I am happy with the present. I have lived my life, as given.”

Duane was preceded in death by his parents, Earl and Gladys Hollis; two older sisters, Earlene (Hollis) Adams and Ann (Hollis) Bailey; and brother-in-law Eldon Bailey.

Duane is survived by his sister, Naomi (Hollis) Murphy, of Silverton, Ore.; brother Jerry Hollis of Kellogg, Idaho; daughter Brenda and son-in-law Darren Buller of Morrison, Colo.; and his three grandchildren, Max, Emily and Conrad; and his best friend and partner, Vickie Todd whom he shared the last 17 years of his life.

Duane was a kind-hearted soul and lived his life to the fullest. He will be greatly missed by so many.

Family and friends will be hosting a celebration of life from 2-5 p.m. Sunday, March 6, 2022, in Arizona at the Moon Valley Country Club and in Colorado on a date to be determined.

Donations can be made to:

www.helpinghandsforfreedom.org/make-a-donation-to-helping-hands-for-freedom