Howard “Sonny” Duncan has been remembered as a boxer, a cop, a brother and a mentor in the weeks since his passing.
The 81-year-old Duncan passed away at his home in Colorado Springs, Colorado on Dec. 26, with local memorial services planned for Friday.
Sonny Duncan, in addition to being a Galesburg Police officer for 21 years, was an Illinois Golden Glove boxer in the ’60’s and reached the national semifinals, under the tutelage of his father, Andy, a skilled boxer in his own right.
Duncan started coaching youth at the Galesburg Boxing Club to give kids an outlet to teach them life skills and keep them out of trouble.
His brother Carlos carries on that tradition on to this today with the Galesburg Youth Athletic Club.
Longtime friend Jim Jacobs, who helped Sonny at Galesburg Boxing Club, remembers that he deeply cared about all the boxers he trained.
He said its the vehicle that gets the kids to be good citizens, that’s what we’re really interested in. Sure, we want them to win and know the fundamentals of boxing and know the discipline but we want that to carry over into making them good citizens,” Jacobs says.
Jacobs says Duncan never would yell and forbid cursing in the gym.
Former Galesburg Police Chief John Schlaf says that same calmness and care for people translated to his work as an officer.
Memorial services for Sonny Duncan will be held at First Baptist Church on Friday at 11 a.m. with burial at 2 p.m. at Oak Lawn Cemetery.
