James Evan Duncan

James “Jim” Evan Duncan, 68, of Cornelius, NC, passed away Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. Visitation will be held at 6:00 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15, 2023, at Raymer-Kepner Funeral Home in Huntersville, NC, followed by a memorial service at 6:30 p.m. led by his close friend Bill Matevie.

Jim is survived by his wife, Sheila Suzanne Duncan, sisters, Jan Reed and Linda Pickett, son, Jeremy Duncan and his wife, Alexa, mother-in-law, Louise Hall, sister-in-law,Arlene Espin and husband Carlos, sister-in-law Kristi McClintock and husband Paul,several nieces and nephews, and dear friends Bill and Rosemary Matevie and Mike and Chris Tabor. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Mindy Hammel Duncan, and his parents, James Donald Duncan and Betty Lou Duncan nee Brant.

Jim was born and raised in Youngstown, Ohio, alongside his two sisters. He earned a bachelor’s degree in theology at Melodyland School of Theology in California, where he met Mindy. After their son Jeremy was born, the family moved from California to Florida, Minnesota, and then to Arizona, where Jim earned his masters in adult education and founded a church, Immanuel Fellowship. They later moved to Colorado and then North Carolina, where Jim worked with the Mecklenburg County Sherriff’s Department. Sadly, Mindy passed away after a long battle with Type I diabetes.

Jim married his wife Sheila in 2002, and they spent nearly 22 happy years together sharing their love of classic movies and TV shows,animals, and travel. Jim was the ultimate Yankees fan, and was also passionate about education and ministry. He worked for several years teaching life skills classes to prison inmates who were re-entering society, and then went to work for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Public Library. Jim’s faith was always a cornerstone of his life, and even after he became seriously ill in his later years and could no longer attend church, he always watched services from Life Fellowship every Sunday. It meant a lot for him to lead people to the Lord.

A funeral service will be held on Friday, September 15, 2023, 6:30 PM, at Raymer-Kepner Funeral Home of Huntersville. A visitation will be held prior to the service from 6:00 - 6:30PM.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Operation Blessing, www.ob.org, or Samaritan’s Purse, www.smaritanspurse.org.