August 20, 1941 - May 28, 2014
Of Rockford, WA passed away May 28, 2014 at Fairfield Care in Fairfield, WA. Duke is survived by his wife, Ruthie Fette; his brother, Ron Fette; his four sisters, Anna Grace (Bill) Tilger, Carol Fette, Pat (Larry) Wimmer, Debbie (Doyle) Hess; along with numerous nieces and nephews, long time family friends and the Longhorn crew. He is preceded in death by his brothers, John and Ed Fette. Duke was born in Muenster, Texas on August 20, 1941. He graduated from Muenster High School on May 22, 1959. Shortly after he graduated he decided to join the Navy on December 10, 1959. After six years in the Navy, Duke hitchhiked to Airway Heights, WA in 1965. From there he started working for his cousins, the Lehnertz brothers, at the Longhorn Barbecue. In the early 1980â??s Duke moved to Rockford, WA where he loved to ride and train his horses. Eventually Duke bought the Longhorn; he lived to work. Duke ran Longhorn Catering that ran from Idaho, Montana, and all over Washington. He finally decided to retire in 2003, although retirement to Duke was enjoying every moment he could on his farm, whether it was stacking hay, riding his horses, tending to his cows, or even just enjoying the view from his John Deere Tractor. Duke enjoyed life everyday living in the country. A celebration of Dukes life will be held at Spokane Valley Longhorn, N. 2315 Argonne, on Monday, June 9, 2014, from 12pm-3pm. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made in honor of Dukes name to Fairfield Care, 503 S. Hilltop Lane, Fairfield, WA 99012.
