Oak Ridge Boys’ Duane Allen Loses Both His Brother & Sister-In-Law Within 2 Weeks
Anne Frances Pate / YouTube
The Oak Ridge Boys‘ Duane Allen is in mourning after suffering multiple loses over the span of two weeks.
First, Duane’s brother, Fred, passed away. Duane cared for Fred deeply, and said he was a”HERO” in his life.
In a LinkedIn blog post tiled A DAY OF BEING THANKFUL!!!!!!, Duane reflected on all of his recent loses, including the death of his brother. He made it clear how much he admired Fred, writing:
“MY BROTHER FRED, WHO WAS MY PERFECT BROTHER, MY HERO, AND A MISSIONARY FOR GOD.”
Not long after losing his brother, Duane was left to cope with the death of a former Oak Ridge Boys member, Gary McSpadden. Gary was a member of the Oaks for some time, and recorded three albums with the group. He was eventually inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame with Duane and other members in 2000.
“ALL OF THE CURRENT OAK RIDGE BOYS WERE INFLUENCED BY GARY,” Duane wrote in his A DAY OF BEING THANKFUL!!!!!! blog post. Gary passed away on Wednesday (April 15) at the age of 77 following a brief battle with cancer.
Then, just three days after Gary’s death, Duane lost his beloved sister-in-law, Margie. Duane dedicated a full LinkedIn post to Margie after her passing, titled, REST IN PEACE, MY BEAUTIFUL SISTER-IN-LAW!!!!!!
Margie was married to Duane’s late brother, Bob. In his blog, Duane remembered how Bob and Margie moved their family to be close to where he lived, and recalled helping them set out presents for their kids on Christmas:
“I LOVED HELPING THEM AND SANTA CLAUS ARRANGE CHRISTMAS FOR ALL OF THEIR KIDS…….BOB, MARGIE, AND I JUST BECAME LITTLE KIDS AS EACH CHILDREN’S FAVORITE CEREAL WAS LAID IN THEIR PLACE IN STACKS…..THIS WAS IN ADDITION TO THEIR OTHER GIFTS.”
Duane said Margie never spoke a “BAD WORD” about anyone, and that “SHE WAS EASY TO LOVE AND I LOVED HER DEARLY.”
The other members of the Oak Ridge Boys showed their support for Duane by tweeting about his losses and asking their fans to keep him and the Allen family in their prayers.
In his A DAY OF BEING THANKFUL!!!!!! blog post, Duane spoke about the hurt he’s been feeling after losing his brother, friend, and sister-in-law in such a short amount of time. He also mentioned how the COVID-19 pandemic kept him from visiting any of his loved ones in their final moments, which hurts him even more:
“ALL OF THESE DEATHS HIT VERY HARD……I HAVE FELT SO HELPLESS, BEING SEQUESTERED TO MY HOME…..I DID NOT GET TO VISIT ANY OF THE THREE LOVED ONES BEFORE THEY PASSED, AND I CANNOT ATTEND THEIR FUNERALS…….THAT HURTS DEEPLY IN MY GUT BECAUSE I HAVE ALWAYS DONE MY BEST TO HONOR THE LIFE OF THOSE WHO HAVE PASSED AWAY,” he wrote.
Despite all of the pain he has suffered, Duane knows he will get through it. He is relying on his faith to give him strength, saying, “BUT, I KNOW THAT GOD WILL BE RIGHT THERE TO PUT THE PIECES BACK TOGETHER.”
A few years ago, the Oak Ridge Boys recorded a song titled “There Will Be Light.” The song speaks about how tough times may by tough in the moment, but there will always be light in the end. Please enjoy that song below.
Our hearts and prayers go out to Duane and his family during this sad time. May Fred, Gary, and Margie rest in peace.
