On Monday, November 25, 2019, Robert Carithers (Bob) Duncan, Jr., loving husband, biological father of four, father-in-fact to one, and father-in-law, grandfather and great-grandfather to many, passed away peacefully at home at the age of 90, with his devoted wife Helen at his side.  Adoring family and friends surrounded him throughout his final days.

Bob was born on July 1 ^st , 1929, in Washington, D.C., to Robert Carithers Duncan and Jane McMullan Duncan of Chevy Chase, Maryland.  He graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in the District of Columbia in 1947, and received his BA from Union College in 1951, and his MA in Physics from Cornell University in 1958.  When not leading memorable summer family camping adventures, he worked as a research physicist for many years at RCA Laboratories in Princeton, New Jersey, publishing numerous research papers between 1958 and 1977.  He was later conscripted to serve in the delicate role of facilities allocation manager there until his retirement in 1987.  Freed of a nine to five commitment, Bob then perfected his talents (and nourished his innate curiosity) as a home handyman, amateur tennis player, storyteller, instinctive educator, aspiring sailor, non-fiction book aficionado, Maryland crab picker and New York Times crossword puzzler, and spent as much time as possible "puttering" and relaxing on the porch of the Duncan family cottage on the banks of the Potomac River in Southern Maryland.

Bob married his high school sweetheart and wife of 67 years, Helen Sheppard Duncan, on June 27, 1952.  They raised two sons, Rob and Dave, and two daughters, Carol and Karen, in the home in which Helen still resides in Princeton, New Jersey.  Their integrated-by-design neighborhood, and the civil and human rights ideals upon which it was founded in the late 1950s, remained – aside from family and children, whom he considered critical to that mission – the most important commitment of Bob's adult life.  Bob was a member of the Princeton Housing Group, which focused on fair housing initiatives during that time, and he and Helen routinely invited foreign students and young people facing challenging circumstances into their home over the years.  Bob continued to take an active role in supporting equal rights on both the national and local level through the rest of his life.

Bob was a participating member of the Nassau Presbyterian Church from the time he and Helen joined in 1960, serving in various capacities on assorted committees over the years, supporting incarcerated youth, working on revitalization projects in Trenton, and leading immigration rights and other community service initiatives well into his late 80s.  He was President of the Princeton YMCA Service Club in 1961-2 and 1965-6, and was elected to the West Windsor Township Board of Education in 1966.  He served on the school board until 1975, and was chosen as its President during the period in which the Township planned, funded, constructed and inhabited its first high school, now West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South.  In spite of what he perceived as a naturally introverted and reserved personality, Bob's thoughtful and heartfelt (and, when appropriate, humorous) words were welcomed, respected, powerful and convincing in support of this endeavor, as they were on so many diverse occasions throughout his adult life.

Bob was preceded in death by his father and mother and brother, Bruce.  He is survived by his wife, Helen; his four children and their families: Rob, Jennifer, Amy Cameron and Natalie Duncan; David, Valerie, Jennifer, Sarah (Turner), Katie, Cameron, Ashley (Webb) and Grayson Duncan; Carol, Elizabeth and Christopher Quin; and Karen, Chris, Stach, Jana, Rye and Li Jaran; much-loved spouses and significant others of several of his grandchildren; and Bryan Mitnaul -- who Bob and Helen have considered part of their family since he grew up with their children as a next door neighbor -- and his children David and Todd.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, December 14 ^th , 2019 at the Nassau Presbyterian Church in Princeton, New Jersey at 4 o'clock pm.  Donations in Bob's honor may be made to the International Rescue Committee or Nassau Presbyterian Church's Hunger Fund.