Oneta Duncan

Alice “Oneta” Duncan

October 1, 1925 to June 11, 2026

On June 11, 2026 Oneta, as she was known to all, left us to be with our Lord after a brief illness and surgery. She was looking forward to soon turning 101.

Oneta was born in Denver, Colorado to Everett and Legola Bolding. The family soon after moved back to their home state of Missouri in Texas County near Plato where Oneta was raised along with her two brothers. The family ran a shingle mill there during the depression years of the late 1920’s and 1930’s.

Oneta attended grade school at Mt. Pisgah and graduated in 1943 from Houston High School in Houston, MO. During World War II and while attending high school she worked at Fort Leonard Wood military base as a waitress serving the soldier boys. It was there at the end of her senior year that she met Wayne Woodrow Duncan from Evening Shade, MO who was working at the Base as a civilian. They fell in love and married soon after on July 10, 1943.

Wayne and Oneta welcomed their first child, Carolyn Sue, on Christmas Day 1944 while in Missouri. But Wayne felt the draw of the California oilfields so in 1946 they left family and friends in Missouri for California where they first moved around finding work picking crops until Wayne landed his dream job in the oilfields in 1948. They moved to Derby Acres and Wayne started work with Franco Western Oil Company which would later be bought by Mobil Oil Co. While here they welcomed their second child Gary Wayne in 1949. Wayne was transferred to the newly drilled Pyramid Hills oil lease south of Avenal as a resident oilfield operator taking his family with him to a new prefabricated home set on the lease in Sun Flower Valley on March 31st, 1955. Their daughter Annette was born here in 1964. Oneta always said having a child late in life kept them young.

After Wayne retired from Mobil Oil Co in 1982, together they founded the family oil lease operation business ‘Duncan’s Pumping Service’. They continued to operate the Mobil Oil Co Pyramid Hills oil lease under contract until 1986 when they purchased the oil lease with partners Joe and Wanda Covello of Central California Oil Co out of Bakersfield. Ten years later they sold the lease to Fred and Barbara Holmes of Western Well Service in Taft. Gary continues to operate Duncan’s Pumping Service and Oneta was still doing the ‘books’ for Gary while he was on vacation shortly before her death.

Wayne and Oneta both remained at ‘Rancho Wayneta’ in Sun Flower Valley for the rest of their lives, Oneta staying on another 15 years after losing Wayne, for a total of 71 years.

Oneta loved to sew and made numerous hand stitched quilts. She also loved her yard and gardening and spending time at the family vacation properties in Fish Camp and Pinehurst. She enjoyed watching her newborn calves and was helping Annette vaccinate cattle just weeks before her passing.

Oneta accepted Christ as a young lady and faithfully attended Avenal First Baptist Church. She has gone home now to be with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Oneta may have given birth to only 3 children, but she was mother to so many family and friends. Many family members, nieces and nephews who lost their mothers so young. To so many, she was known simply as ‘mom’.

Oneta is survived by her daughter Carloyn Russell (Dick) of Taft, CA, her son Gary Duncan (Jill) of Cholame, CA, daughter Annette Howell of Guadalupe, CA, grandchildren Bryan Sellman of Bakersfield, CA, Launa Sorenson (Chad) of Taft, CA, and Gary Duncan (Elia) of Washington DC, step granddaughter Dana Brown of Lodi, Great grandchildren Jake Morton, Blake Sellman, Amelia Miles, Travis Sellman, and Amir Duncan, step great grandson Braxton Crumpacker and one Great Great granddaughter Isabella Sellman. Oneta is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews, cousins and friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents Everett and Legola Bolding, husband Wayne Duncan, her brother Elmer John Bolding and her brother Orvand Ransom Bolding.

Funeral will be held on her 83rd wedding anniversary July 10th, 2026 at Erickson and Brown funeral home, 501 Lucard St; Taft, CA at 10:30 AM, followed by a short graveside service at Westside Cemetery, 440 E. Cedar St; Taft, CA. Avenal First Baptist Church Pastor Ted Woelk to officiate. Arrangements are under the direction of Erickson & Brown Funeral Home, Taft, CA.

Family was everything to Oneta and there was nothing she loved more than putting on a big feed and getting family and friends together so let’s honor her legacy by joining us that afternoon for a celebration at the Taft Oilworker Monument located at the corner of South 6th St and Supply Row (598 Supply Row, Taft, CA).

Oneta was a strong supporter of our American veterans so in lieu of flowers the family asks that donations be made to a veteran cause or organization of your choice. Alternatively, you may donate to mygooddays.org that was helping pay for her macular disease treatments.

To send flowers to the family, please visit our floral store.