Duane Carver Ford was born on August 1, 1967, in Akron, Ohio to Geraldine (Ellis) Ford and the late George Carver Ford. At the age of one his father passed away. Duane was the heart of his mother, and he affectionately called her "honey" (the name she called him when he was little). He was very protective of her. When he was three, his mother remarried to his stepfather, Edward Smith, who, along with his mother, often referred to Duane as "the warden" because he often ran through the house in his favorite cowboy boots to make sure his mother was not far out of his sight. He soon found out that his new father, Edward was an asset to his family and often took he and his mom on vacations, church, and spent quality time with him. When he was six, his family welcomed his little sister Carol where he had to share his mother and father. Although he was six years older than Carol he developed a close relationship with her, especially as they became adults. He often relied on her.

Duane attended Akron Public Schools, graduating from Garfield High School in 1986, where he had perfect attendance. This was a foreshadowing of his career. Duane was a very hard worker who did not miss a day of work with the exception of his father's funeral and a brief hospital stay. He had longevity on jobs, usually remaining until the employment went out of business. He began working briefly at Tacc Bell right out of high school, then worked at Sisters Chicken and Biscuits from 1986 - 1994 where he worked his way to a manager and crew leader until they went out of business. There he made many friends who he maintained for the rest of his life. He fondly looked forward to his birthdays where his co-workers/friends took him out for dinner. For the next six years he worked at Friendly's Family Restaurant where he sharpened his leadership skills, handling finances, interviewing and training employees. Duane enjoyed cooking and utilized his abilities as a chef at his final restaurant jobs, working at Bricco and Larry's Restaurant from 2000- 2021. Duane not only loved to cook at his jobs, but he also enjoyed family gatherings at his mom's house, where he cooked and socialized with several relatives and friends. His mom, sister, Carol and niece, Janae, especially loved his Christmas ham. His fried chicken in the deep fryer will also be missed by his family, among other dishes he made. In addition, teaming with his mom, sister, aunts, and cousins, he worked on holiday meals with his uncle Hal, who referred to him as "precious pup" (his mom's favorite son).

In addition to Duane's love for cooking and spending time on holidays with family, he loved spending time with his mischievous dog, Scrappy. Duane adored music and going to concerts with friends. He especially loved the P funk, funkadelic.

Duane worked his final job in an area that had nothing to do with cooking. He worked at Alternative Health Solutions for one year until his health began to decline. During this time while he was unable to work, he purchased a guitar and took guitar lessons at the Guitar Center. He was very happy to learn to play guitar, due to his love of music.

During Duane's last hospital stay he had time to reflect on his life. He gave his heart to Christ. Duane will be missed by his family and friends. They will miss his humor, talkativeness, his cooking, especially at holidays, and his love for music and sports (especially the Browns and Ohio State).

Duane was preceded in death by his father, George Carver Ford, Stepfather, Edward Smith; Grandparents, Charlie and Esmoline Ellis.

He leaves to cherish his memory, his mother, Geraldine Smith, sister, Carol Duckworth, niece, Janae Duckworth, his dog, Scrappy, godson Matt, and best friends Javier and Jose, special aunt, Sharon Brown, other aunts, uncles, cousins and a host of other relatives and friends.