Clytice Church Duzan, of rural Lowry City, passed away peacefully at home the morning of April 10, 2019. The youngest of three children, she was born February 6, 1928, in White County, Arkansas, to Noah and Eva Ali (Childress) Church.
When she was twelve years old, Clytice professed her faith in Jesus as her Savior and Lord. She was baptized into the Wellington (Missouri) Baptist Church. To protect her modesty, her mother sewed rocks into the hem of her dress so it wouldn’t “float up” as she was immersed.
Clytice began taking piano lessons as a teenager and continued into her college years. Her desire was to learn to play hymns and serve her Lord in that way. Clytice served on the piano bench up to and including her last Sunday on earth! Clytice held an AA from Southwest Baptist College (now University) and a BA from Oklahoma Baptist University (Shawnee, Oklahoma) in Religious Education/Religious Journalism.
It was at SWBC that she met Maynard W. Duzan. They were married June 25, 1950, in St. Joseph, Missouri. To this union were born three children: Stephen Wayne, Jennifer Sue and Marlene Kay. Throughout her many years as a Christian homemaker, Clytice also served in every local church of which she was a part in various roles including pianist, Sunday School teacher, VBS teacher/director, WMU leader/director, camp counselor and cook. She also went on numerous field trips, served as room mother, served as a project leader in 4-H and also did some substitute teaching, including three years teaching English in Humansville on a temporary certificate.
After her husband of 50+ years passed away in 2001, Clytice began writing Christian fiction and children’s books. She has had six fiction novels, six children’s books and a collection of children’s stories published – with another novel and two more children’s books in some stage of development.
Clytice was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, two brothers: Hubert Church and Ralph Church. She is survived by her children and their spouses: Stephen and Deby Duzan (Springfield, MO), James and Jennifer Smith (Bolivar, MO) and Wayne and Marlene Holland (Kansas City, MO). She is also survived by six grandchildren, three great-grandchildren and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews.
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