<p>May 16, 1929 &#8211; August 22, 2013 Visitation: St. Aloysius Catholic Church Tuesday, August 27, 2013 5:00 PM &#8211; 8:00 PM Life Celebration with Prayers Recited at 7:00 p.m. Services: St. Aloysius Catholic Church Wednesday, August 28, 2013 10:00 AM Mass of Christian Burial Cemetery Services: St. Aloysius Catholic Cemetery Wednesday, August 28, 2013 Joseph Clinton Booth Duke, Sr., 84 of Leonardtown, MD died August 22, 2013, at his home, surrounded by his loving family. Born May 16, 1929 in Leonardtown, MD, he was the son of the late John Jenkins Duke and Marguerite Ellen Abell. He is preceded in death by his siblings, John J. Duke, Jr., Katherine O&#8217;Connell, and Margaret Duke. Clinton was a lifelong resident of St. Mary&#8217;s County. He was a 1943 graduate of Leonard Hall Naval Academy and a 1947 graduate of St. Mary&#8217;s Academy. He is survived by his wife for the past 25 years, Frances Wilkinson Duke and her children, Janet Pettersen (Ken) of Lusby, MD, Ricky Lacey (Donna) of Hollywood, MD, Tony Lacey (Sharon) of Hollywood, MD, Donnie Lacey (Ginny) of Avenue, MD, Brenda Filby (Mike) of Leonardtown, MD, Ruth Damrau (Bob) of Reno, NV, and Bobby Lacey, Jr (Denise) of St. Leonard, MD; and his loving caretaker, Theresa Jaramillo. He is also survived by his children of his marriage to the late Patricia Ann Randolph: Joseph &#8216;Jay&#8217; Clinton Booth Duke Jr. (Lois) of Hollywood, MD, Lawrence Duke of Leonardtown, MD, Michelle Cohen, of Fremont, CA, Maureen Mattingly (Bill) of Hollywood, MD, Kim Chainay (Donnie) of Leonardtown, Mark Duke (Diane) of Hollywood, MD, Meg Wolfrey of Hollywood, MD, and Terry Duke (Netty) of Lusby, MD. Clinton&#8217;s first love was his family. Between the two families he was father to 15 children, 20 grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren. Clinton&#8217;s second love was fire fighting. He started fighting fires as a teenager in high school. In 1954 he started as a paid fireman at the Patuxent River Naval Air Station. He worked his way up to Fire Chief and reluctantly retired at the mandatory age of 55. Throughout all of this time he was an active member of the Leonardtown Volunteer Fire Department. He especially loved teaching fire safety to children. Using the character and costume of Sparky the Fire Dog, he introduced several generations of young children to the elements of fire safety through school visits and community parades. He is an inductee to the Hall of Fame of both the Southern Maryland Firemen&#8217;s Association and the Maryland State Firemen&#8217;s Association. His membership in the U.S. Navy Fire Chiefs Association enabled him to travel and make friends in all 50 states of the country. A few years after his retirement as fire chief, he trained to become a Court Commissioner for St. Mary&#8217;s County. After a decade of this, he once again tried retirement. Only a few months went by before he took on the job of court bailiff for Judge Abrams. He served in the Maryland National Guard for 10 years. He was a 4th Degree Sir Knight with St. Mary&#8217;s Knights of Columbus, Council 1470 holding many Officer Positions throughout his years of service. He was a member of St. Aloysius Choir, and the Sons of Confederate Veterans. Family will receive friends for Clinton&#8217;s Life Celebration on Tuesday, August 27, 2013 from 5 to 8 p.m., with prayers recited at 7 p.m. by Reverend John Dakes, at St. Aloysius Catholic Church, 22800 Washington St., Leonardtown, MD 20650. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated by Reverend David Beaubien on Wednesday, August 28, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. at St. Aloysius Catholic Church. Interment will follow in St. Aloysius Cemetery in Leonardtown, MD. Serving as pallbearers will be Brian Duke, Rob Duke, DJ Chainay, Bobby Lacey, Jr., Tony Lacey, and Mike Filby. Honorary pallbearers will be Leonardtown Volunteer Fire Department. Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice House of St. Mary&#8217;s, P.O. Box 625, Leonardtown, MD 20650; Leonardtown Volunteer Fire Department, P.O. Box 50, Leonardtown, MD 20650; Leonardtown Volunteer Rescue Squad, P.O. Box 299, Leonardtown, MD 20650; Leonardtown Volunteer Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary, P.O. Box 361, Leonardtown, MD 20650; and Knights of Columbus Council #1470, P.O. Box 152, Leonardtown, MD. Condolences to the family may be made at www.brinsfieldfuneral.com. Arrangements by the Brinsfield Funeral Home, P.A., Leonardtown, MD.</p>