Claudia Mauree Duncan Burckard

Claudia Mauree Duncan was born to Perdema Mauree Miller and Theodore “Ted” Norman Duncan on May 28, 1950, in Tulsa, Okla. Her father Ted was serving there as an executive hydraulics engineer with Sperry-Vickers while her mother Perdema was studying for her degree in psychology.

Growing up on her parent’s farm in Metamora, Mich., Claudia competed in dressage shows as an accomplished equestrian and rode expertly with her father on "foxhunts" in the surrounding countryside. No foxes were ever harmed because she had a life-long love of all of God’s creatures. Despite her husband’s objections, she daily fed the numerous birds, squirrels. raccoons and deer in our yard in Carrollton. For many years she also raised chickens behind our house and provided fresh eggs to the neighbors. And throughout her entire life there were always kitties, doggies and sometimes fishes and hamsters in the house. After schooling in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., she graduated in 1968 from Fenster High School in Tucson, Ariz., and went on to obtain her bachelor of arts degree in journalism from the University of Arizona in 1973 where she met future husband Albert.

She and Albert were married in her parent’s home in Oxford, MI, on 20 May 1973 with a local minister presiding. Then, as a “U.S. Army wife”, she accompanied him in his military career assignments for the next twenty-two years.

Having already studied French and Spanish, she learned German at the Defense Language Institute in Monterrey, Calif., and in her spare time certified as a competitive driver to race with her husband as navigator in their Mercedes 280SE in time-distance rallies with the Fort Ord Rally and Touring Society—sometimes on the Laguna Seca Raceway. She also endured Albert’s insistence on replicating this adventure later on the public roads of both Monaco and Nurburgring While living in military quarters in 1974 in Garmisch, West Germany, Claudia traveled with her father to visit the Holy Land and several mid-eastern countries as well as Hong Kong as part of his business travel. While in southern Bavaria, she flight trained for a civilian pilot’s license, but her husband’s unexpected transfer orders to New York allowed her no time to solo.

From 1975 to 1979 at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, NY., she pursued her interest in professional photography with a fully equipped darkroom in the house and won several local awards. Here, with several other Army wives, she edited and published the periodical Town Crier for military families stationed there. And during America’s Bicentennial celebration from 1976 to 1981, she outfitted herself authentically as a civilian camp follower accompanying her re-enactor husband in several major historical and educational Revolutionary War battle recreations throughout the northeast.

Bravely traveling unaccompanied to the Republic of Korea as a civilian spouse in 1979 to join her husband, she quickly gained employment by the U.S. Army teaching young soldiers in the Basic Skills Education Program at a small outpost near the Demilitarized Zone separating North and South Korea. At the Army’s 2nd Infantry Division Headquarters, she accompanied her husband representing U.S. Forces at several international ceremonial events.

Their next duty station was temporarily with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, N.C., where son Albert III was born. As an infant, he was certified by the commanding general as an honorary member of that storied unit.

Claudia next relocated overseas with her two “Alberts" to Bad Kreuznach, Germany, where she was involved with Non-combatant Evacuation Operations designed to sustain family members during a full wartime evacuation of civilians. During this duty tour she studied for and was awarded a bachelor of arts degree from Boston University in counseling in order to qualify for the military overseas educational system. She taught part-time with DoDEA because of her child-rearing responsibilities.

The family’s next posting was to Heidelberg where daughter Amelia was born in 1984. Here, Claudia and the other dependents watched nervously from their quarters as anti-American demonstrators marched noisily through the American housing area. These dangerous Cold War events were designed to intimidate American military families, but Claudia and her neighbors faced this threat courageously together.

While stationed with her husband in Germany during the Cold War, the family travelled extensively throughout Western Europe in their VW camper as Claudia and the two toddlers Palmer and Amy boldly endured the many austere campsites her husband chose to save money! They also travelled extensively in Communist Yugoslavia, Poland and East Germany as part of Albert’s military training.

Claudia next moved her family back to the U.S. to HQ TRADOC at Fort Monroe. She and Albert purchased their own very first home nearby in Carrollton. With Albert focused on his work, Claudia bore the loving burden of raising Palmer and Amy finding appropriate schools and participating strongly in school-related activities such as the PTA and as a den mother to the Carrollton BSA troop.

She also learned to drywall and insulate the rundown old historic house her husband insisted they live in. She became especially adept at repairing and replacing the dangerous depression-era electrical wiring. When Albert was sent back to Korea in 1979 for a second year-long duty tour, she had to take over completely all family financial and other obligations. She single-handedly bore all household responsibilities as well as participating with the two children in sports, recreational and school activities.

Upon Albert’s retirement in 1993, she joined with him in managing a small independent book store “Sandpiper Books” in Tabb until 1996. But her time was mostly devoted to raising her two beautiful children and much later caring for her grandchildren as they arrived.

A week after the 9-11-01 World Trade Center attack she insisted the family travel to Manhattan to view and pay respects since she had toured the WTC towers several times while residing at Stewart AFB in New York.

Later in life she was diagnosed with degenerative COPD that severely limited her participation in civic and social life and restricted her to managing household affairs.

The staff at Riverside Hospital valiantly tried to stave off the effects of COPD, but Claudia eventually succumbed quietly and peacefully on September 24 in the presence of her daughter and husband.

To the end she remained the steadfast and loving shepherd around whom all family activities revolved.

Claudia is survived by her husband of 53 years Albert Palmer Burckard Jr.; son Albert Palmer Burckard III; daughter Amelia Mauree Jones; granddaughters Draeva Mauree Jones, Remy Sindel Jones, Kaylee Andromeda and Katherine Zeta Eiroa; grandsons Albert Palmer Burckard IV and William Ray Hedgepeth Jr.; sisters Sara Diane Duncan and Jennifer Lynne Duncan; and nephews Theodore Xavier and Anthony Joesph Duncan. Surviving in-laws are Albert’s siblings Frances Alpern and William August Burckard of Hampton.

A memorial service for Claudia will be held 2 p.m. Sunday, October 4, in the Oak Grove UMC sanctuary, 24081 Sugar Hill Road in Carrollton followed by a reception next door in the church hall.

She will be interred at a later date in the Albert G. Horton Veterans Cemetery in Suffolk at a spot reserved for her and Albert.

Donations in Claudia’s name may be made to either the Carrollton Volunteer Fire Department, the Rescue Friends Church Food Pantry or a charity of your choice. All arrangements are being made by Little’s Funeral Home in Smithfield.

Online condolences may be registered at www.littlesfuneralhome.com