Happy Father's Day!  

 

Family life is strong in Bridgeport.  It’s not uncommon to attend an event and have several generations from one family in attendance.  Richard Duez is a very active husband, father and grandfather in the community.  He has a passion for sports and loves seeing the community excel.  He’s an avid Bridgeport fan, can rattle off stats from 25 years ago and sits in the stands for many youth sports every week.  Please take a moment to meet my fantastic father-in-law, Richard Duez, sponsored by Higinbotham & Higinbotham, PLLC:

 

How long have you lived in Bridgeport? Richard has lived in Bridgeport for most of his life.  He first moved to Bridgeport when he was 4 ½ years old.  His family rented a cottage at the Green Parrot while his dad worked in local glass factories.  His family moved with the glass cutting business in his younger years.  Richard attended kindergarten in Mount Vernon, Ohio; first grade in West Jeannette, Pennsylvania; he went to Simpson Elementary, the brand new Johnson Elementary and St. Francis Borgia (which later became All Saints) his second grade year.  The family moved to Henrietta, Oklahoma where he attended school with Indians for most of third grade.  He was one of three non-Indian students.  For the remainder of third grade, the family moved to Clarksburg where Richard attended school in North View. His dad worked at Roland Glass.  In fourth grade, Richard’s dad worked for PPG, they lived on Reno Street and Richard attended St. Mary’s Elementary.  In seventh grade, the family moved back to Mount Vernon, Ohio; 8^th grade back to Clarksburg where he attended St. Mary’s and finished high school and graduated from Notre Dame where he played football.  He was offered a football scholarship to Potomac State but turned it down.

 

Where are you originally from? Fort Smith, Arkansas 

 

Are you married? Yes, to Norma Lazzelle Duez.  They were married at All Saints Catholic Church in 1965.  Next week marks their 50^th wedding anniversary.  Richard was working in Parkersburg and drove home to be married on February 27, 1962 on a very snowy day in his 1958 Corvette.  Norma is a 1962 BHS graduate.  She recently retired from the City of Bridgeport.

 

Children? Yes, Sheri Duez Hyatt and Matt.  Sheri is married to Tim Hyatt and they reside in Clarksburg, Maryland.  They have two sons, Christopher, 18, and Alex, 12.  Matt lives in Bridgeport and is married to Michelle.  They have three sons, Michael, 20, Mark, 17, and Mitchell, 13. 

 

What is your favorite color? Blue

 

Where do you work? Richard is self-employed.  He owns Duez Antiques, restoring furniture.

 

Favorite Bridgeport spot? Wayne Jamison Field to watch football and track.

 

Favorite WV spot outside of Bridgeport? Morgantown - appreciates the history of stoneware pottery in Morgantown.  His wife, Norma, was born there too.

 

Favorite place outside of WV? York County, PA 

 

Favorite restaurant?  Minards is his favorite restaurant.  He loves to find good German food too.

 

Best childhood memory?  Richard’s grandmother owned a grocery store in West Jeannette, Pennsylvania.  He fondly remembers roaming the neighborhood with friends and having free reign of candy at the store. 

 

Favorite musical group?   Richard likes old rock and roll.  The Eagles and Buddy Holly are two of his favorites.

 

Hobbies?  Antiques, playing basketball, running, restoring pre-Civil War furniture and collecting photos are some of the things that keep Richard busy.  He enjoys providing photos to 17 North Central WV Facebook sites with old photos of their communities.

 

Interesting fact about you?  Richard never had the opportunity to play youth sports because his family moved frequently.  He was able to play football for Notre Dame and was a natural.  He really enjoyed the sport and the camaraderie of the team. 

 

Richard worked in the glass business after high school for Adamston Glass.  In 1975 he held the national record for the most boxes of window glass cut into size in one day.  He cut 214 boxes.  His father, Frank Duez, also held a national record for cutting the most boxes of window glass in a week.  Frank cut 825 boxes.

 

Finally, Richard feels you are never too old to learn something new.  He says to never quit trying to gain knowledge.

 

 

 

Photos provided by Richard Duez

 

This City Face originally ran on February 22, 2015.  Some of the information has been updated.