Lindsey Duane Quait was born September 20, 1944 in San Jose, California to Lindsey David Quait and Nadine Watkins Quait. Father Lindsey died during World War 2 in 1945 shortly after Duane was born. Some time after that, Nadine started calling baby Lindsey by his middle name, Duane. Eventually, Nadine met and married Walden Olson and they moved to his family farm in Kingsburg where Duane went to school. School was something to be survived but he was a great athlete, lettering in multiple sports
He was very proud to have carried the Olympic torch through Kingsburg on its way to the 1960 Olympics in Squaw Valley. He joined the army in 1966 and served most of his time at White Sands missile range in New Mexico doing meteorological studies. While in the army, he courted Kathleen Kelley of Campbell, California. After discharge, he moved to Chicago where Kathleen was studying nursing at North Park College. They were married September 1969. They welcomed daughter Sara in 1972. Duane went to work for the US Postal Service while still in Chicago and transferred to Kingsburg in 1973. Daughter Christy was born in 1975. Soon after moving back to Kingsburg he began helping Walden on the farm and bought it in 1980. He cared for the farm after working for the post office each day. After retiring from the Postal Service he turned to farming full-time.
Duane became a Christian in his early 20’s and loved serving the Lord behind the scenes as well as on the church board as a deacon and vice chair. He loved the mountains, desert and the ocean. All of which represent the diversity of nature that God created. He loved camping, and hiking trips, especially with his family as well as friends from the Kingsburg Covenant Church. He kept a log of over 50 trips to Death Valley and the high desert areas, camping with friends and exploring abandoned mines. Traveling the world was another treasured pastime with many memories. Trips from the top of the world in the Arctic Circle with Kathleen to the bottom of the world within the Antarctic Circle with Sara and so many places in between.
His last trip outside the U.S. was to a lesser traveled part of the upper Amazon River in Peru with Sara, son-in-law Jeff and nephew Travis. Sharing time with family and friends was vitally important to Duane, no matter where they were or why they were together. Duane volunteered with the High Sierra Trail crew, both as a team member and a team leader, maintaining Central Sierra hiking trails so others could enjoy them as much as he did. He was also a part of a group that worked with law-enforcement to clean up forested areas that were severely damaged by illegal marijuana growers. Helping keep God’s forests as natural and beautiful as possible was a cause close to his heart.
By 2017 Duane developed Parkinson’s disease. He leased the farm and he and Kathleen moved to Covenant Village of Turlock. He brought his dry, quirky sense of humor with him. He loved to joke, make people smile and give hugs. He added many new friends to his circle.
Duane’s battle with Parkinson’s ended in victory January 5, 2023 when he went to be with the Lord. He was preceded in death by his sister-in-law Barbara (Larry). He is survived by wife Kathleen Quait of Turlock. Children: Sara Quait of Sunnyvale, California and Christy Quait-Ohlson (Jeff Ohlson) of Princeton, Illinois: Grandchildren Zachary and Ana Quait-Ohlson of Princeton, Illinois. Kathleen’s siblings David (Claudia) Kelley and Ann Kelley as well as extended family members Kristen (Travis) Moses-Westphal and children Lymene, Malik and Elias: Lara (Kenneth) Churcher: Jonathan (Lillian) Moses.
Graveside service will be held at Kingsburg Cemetery on Friday, January 20, 2023 at 11:00a.m. Memorial service will be on Saturday, January 21, 2023 at 10:00a.m. at Covenant Village-Berg Hall.
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