Adrienne Duncan
March 19, 1924-March 9, 2022
Palo Alto, California

Born in Upstate New York, Adrienne spent 65 years in her home in Palo Alto, CA with her husband of 60 years. Just shy of her 98th birthday, Adrienne lived a full life, raising three daughters, Tana, Nikki and Michele, and three grandchildren Robert, Shauna and Cheris (deceased).

Adrienne graduated from Bryant & Stratton business college and briefly attended Julliard School of Music where her dream was to become an opera singer. Her voice did not quite make the cut, and briefly enjoyed singing in local venues and sang the rest of her life.

Adrienne married Gene during WWII. Gene was a Pearl Harbor survivor and later was employed by the US Intelligence (now the CIA). During those years, the family lived in Vienna, Austria. Returning to the US in the late 50’s, the family settled in Palo Alto, CA. Gene attended Stanford and obtained his PhD in mathematics and worked for Lockheed Aircraft. Adrienne was a homemaker and grew an extensive food garden and a profusion of flowers. She taught sustainable vegetable growing to anyone interested and loved to share her yard and spring flurry of poppies. After raising her children, she became interested in art.

The legacy that Adrienne is leaving the world - her art - is one that resounds deeply. When asked the question of legacy, her response was: “The gift that I could give others is their own lives. With art, people can rediscover who they are and what they want from life. it’s an exercise program for the mind, the heart, and the hands.” Mom studied under Kenneth Washburn and joined and taught sculpture at the Pacific Art League. She experimented with different mediums including marble, paper, wood, bronze casting, resins, did restoration work and made large, impressive garden sculptures. She also worked on commissions including a large water fountain for a local business in downtown Palo Alto. Later in life she painted watercolors and created hundreds of beautiful pictures, winning various prizes.

Adrienne suffered a stroke in September and was unable to continue to live independently which she had done since Gene passed away 10 years ago. After leaving rehab, she moved to Bozeman, Montana to be close to her daughter, Michele. While in assisted living she made many new friends and participated in singing and dancing activities. It was a joyous time for her after the protracted Covid lockdown. Adrienne made her mark on the world and will be sorely missed.

Tags: arts/media