Eldon Durkee, age 97 of Fremont and Zephyrhills, Florida passed away July 10, 2011 at the Newaygo Medical Care Facility. Eldon was born in Ionia County to Rev. Raymond Durkee and Ethel Knoll Durkee, one of seven children. Eldon developed an early interest in music through church and family influences and graduated from Lansing Eastern High School in 1932 and Michigan State University (then known as Michigan Agricultural College) in 1936 with a degree in Fine Arts and later a Masters degree in Music Education. After teaching in Lake Odessa for several years, Mr. Durkee accepted the position of Director of Music for Fremont Public Schools in 1941 and retired in 1977, ending a 37 year career. During his tenure in Fremont, he was responsible for all instrumental and choral music programs in the Fremont Public schools. The Fremont Bands and Orchestras were known state-wide for excellence and were consistently given the highest ratings at State competitions. Mr. Durkee sometimes entered Fremonts class B school musicians in competition with larger class A schools in the state to ensure they were properly challenged. As a solo musician, he was an accomplished clarinetist and gave recitals and played in regional instrumental organizations including solo appearances with the West Shore Symphony Orchestra, the Lansing Symphony Orchestra, and the Symphony of Winds of Muskegon. He was also on the faculty of the Interlochen National Music Camp as a clarinet instructor in the 1950s. Mr. Durkee's contribution to the greater Fremont area included organizing and conducting several community choral groups such as the annual presentation of Handels Messiah. He was a lifelong member of the Methodist Church, and assisted in founding the Michigan Band and Orchestra Association for which he later served as an adjudicator. He was a charter member of the Fremont Lions Club and a recipient of the Rotary Club "Service above Self" award in 1977. His hobbies included photography, painting, fishing and traveling worldwide. Some of the travel included performing with the Michigan State University Alumni Band in Europe and accompanying a youth orchestra to Finland. He also traveled as a volunteer, helping build health facilities in Costa Rica and Haiti. He is survived by three children: Carol (Dale) Boyse of Chapel Hill, NC; Janet (Jim) Markstrom of Cheboygan, MI; Raymond (Susan) Durkee of Alameda, CA; six grandchildren, Kelly Boyse (Tony) Taylor, Brad (Kathleen) Boyse, Amanda Markstrom ( Kerry) Salgat, Ted (Margaret) Boyse, Kristina Markstrom (Raymond) Hayes, Kathryn Boyse (Jon) Gant, and 7 great grandchildren, Boyce and Adele Taylor, Dalton, Keegan and Avery Boyse, Elise and Annie Boyse VISITATION : Friday, July 15, 2011 from 9:30am 11am at the Fremont United Methodist Church 351 Butterfield Fremont with FUNERAL SERVICES to follow at 11am at the church. MEMORIAL CONTRIBUTIONS : Fremont Area Community Foundation for the The Durkee Music Scholarship Fund at P O Box B Fremont MI 49412.