Francisco Mateo Duran Castro, “Mike Duran”, 78, entered peacefully into heaven on Friday, August 4, 2017 surrounded by his wife and children.
He was born September 21, 1938 in Charcus San Luis Potosi, Mexico to Pedro Concepcion Duran and Maria Dolores Castro de Duran; the seventh of ten children.
Through the many stories Mateo shared with his children and grandchildren, he often recalled the days spent on the family sheep farm tending to the herd and occasionally riding burros into town for supplies and his favorite frozen treat. He would also share the times of a young boy’s mischief ~ how he and his brothers would innocently find the opportunity to sneak honey from the family’s supply only find themselves covered in honey and in a whole lot of trouble.
Over the years, parts of his family had begun to immigrate to the United States, and in 1962, he too immigrated and joined his sister, Elena (Helen) and some extended family, in Alliance, Nebraska. His sister, Helen, helped him find his first job in Alliance at The Drake Hotel Restaurant as a dishwasher. Staying true to the family work ethic, he was soon being trained to cook and before too much longer became the head cook for the restaurant.
During his time at The Drake, he met a pretty new waitress, Adele Gerber. The two hit it off immediately, and when he asked her on a first date, how could she resist the dapperly dressed man with jet black hair? Mateo and Adele were married on February 15, 1968 in Rapid City, South Dakota and began their family.
In 1976 Mateo and Adele signed on to manage The Iron Horse Diner; together the two ran the iconic steakhouse in Alliance until 1982.
Having a lifelong love of gardening, carried over from working strawberry fields as a teenager in Mexico, Mateo set his sights on doing work closer to his heart and established his own complete lawn care service, Mike’s Lawn Service. He successfully ran his own business until his retirement in 2002.
Although retired, he continued on with his love for gardening, raising vegetables, flowers, and topical plants, creating an oasis in his own back yard over the course of many years. He also spent a lot of time perfecting his role as master “tinkerer” with an innate ability to fix almost anything.
He is survived by his loving wife of 49 years, Adele Duran of Alliance, Nebraska; his children, Michelle Schefcik, Omaha, Nebraska; Michael (Kara) Duran, Omaha, Nebraska; Deborah (Chris) Herrmann, Omaha, Nebraska; and Melody Gahona (fiancé Carl Stewart), Alliance, Nebraska; grandchildren, Jessica (Bobby), Todd, Veronica, Mason, Dylan, Matthew, Dakota, and Elizabeth; as well as three great grandchildren, numerous cousins, nieces and nephews.
He will forever hold a very special place in all our hearts.
Memorial services will be held Monday, August 14, 2017 at 11:00 a.m. at the Seventh-day Adventist Church with Pastor Jim Nichols officiating.
Memorials may be given to the St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.
Online condolences can be left at www.batesgould.com. Bates-Gould Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.