OWASSO, Okla.—Michael Duncan, a longtime optical industry executive, passed away September 25, at age 70, following a battle with cancer. He was 70 years old. After graduating from Oklahoma State University, Duncan began a long and successful optical industry career. He worked as a sales rep for Shuron before joining Duffens Optical’s Tulsa branch. Beginning in 1996 he held a series of management positions at Essilor Laboratories of America, retiring in 2014. An obituary posted by a local funeral home noted, “His business success was a result of his unique ability to build trust with others because anyone who met Mike knew he was genuinely interested in helping them out.”
Duncan combined his love of competitive golf with camaraderie with his optical industry colleagues by founding the annual Optical Tournament of Champions (OTC) golf Tournament. After 21 years the OTC has drawn hundreds of people from around the country with participants regularly thanking him for the lifelong relationships and memories it has provided. Once Duncan’s final prognosis was confirmed, he quickly assembled a team to ensure the OTC would continue.
Duncan is survived by his wife Sandy and his son, Jeff, general manager of Vision Source; daughter in law, Shannon, and their children Adam and Luke, son Jason, daughter in law Heather, and their children Jack, Henry, and Brett, stepdaughter Paula, son in law John, and their children Shelby and Clayton, stepdaughter Rhonda, son-in-law Jerrod, and their children Zach and Taitem, stepdaughter Cindy, son in law Marty, their children Mary Lou, Dawn, Amanda and three great grandchildren, Lillian, Conor and Owen.
A memorial service will be held Oct. 6, 10 :00 a.m., at the First United Methodist Church in Owasso. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the food bank Duncan helped run at the church.