Duane E. Rankin

Duane “E” Rankin, age 54, of North Fayette Township, Imperial, PA, unexpectedly but peacefully passed away on Sunday morning, December 25, 2022.

Duane Edison Rankin was born on June 3, 1968, in Rochester, the son of the late Thomas Edison Rankin and Shirley Ann (McMurdy) Rankin. 
He was a proud member of the Monaca High School Class of 1986.   He went on to graduate from Sawyer School in Travel and Tourism and had a successful career with Vista Host working his way up from Front Desk Associate at the Hampton Inn Cranberry to General Manager of both Hampton Inn Greentree and Hampton Inn Airport and several properties in between.

He met his wife Lori while they were both working at Hills Department Store in Baden in 1988.  They were married on May 17, 1996, and lived in Baden before moving to Imperial in 1999.  
Family was the most important thing to Duane.  His greatest joy was watching his children Robbie and Sarah grow up.  He was always up to play, attend a school function, go for a late night drive to talk, watch a Penguin game with Robbie or have Sarah practice coloring hair on him. Proud does not begin to describe it when Robbie graduated from The George Washington University in 2020 or when Sarah was accepted to the University of Kentucky as a Hospitality Management and Tourism major where she will attend next fall.

Duane was an obsessed Dallas Cowboys fan.  Together with his younger brother and best friend Jimmy, he watched every single game and he proudly defended his team wearing his jersey
regardless of the Steeler Nation backlash.  On Sunday you would find the two of them together cheering their team on, Mt. Dew in hand.  He was fortunate to have been able to meet 
Troy Aikman, Tom Landry, Emmitt Smith, Tony Dorsett and Michael Irving.

He always had a smile on his face and would make friends where ever he was, in whatever he was doing.  Duane had the ability to meet a person for only a few minutes and become lifetime friends. He loved talking to people and getting to know them.  In the last few years, Duane joined the SNPJ Lodge 106 in Imperial where he watched the Pens or sang karaoke. Friends Jason, Brian, Mr. Bob, and Ralph became like family. Duane loved hanging with Robbie and Sarah's friends. He was always there to lend an ear. Earlier this year Duane lost his friend Bob Gibson who had become like a grandfather to him. Duane enjoyed coloring with Bob, spending time talking, and being mischievous.

There were so many sides to Duane.  He would sing everywhere, especially Elvis and Whitney, listened to music of all kinds, Def Leppard and Bon Jovi and 80s something that he grew to share with Sarah. He loved to fish, collected thousands of football cards, watched Friday Night Football, cheered on Pitt, Florida State and North Carolina, and washed his car.  He loved watching WWE 
and was over the moon ecstatic to have been able to meet Rick Flair last year.

Duane is survived by his wife Lori (McArdle) Rankin; his children Robbie and Sarah Rankin; sister Pam (James) Poggiali, Boca Raton, FL; brother Steve (Sueann) Rankin,  Aliquippa, PA; 
in-laws Robert and Linda McArdle; brother & sister in-law Guy and Lisa Rippole; niece and nephews Shari Rankin, Tommy Rankin and Justin Rippole, Kari LaValley, Andrew Mendat, Mark Mendat, great nieces and nephews Hope, Faith, Kaedyn, Mason and Kora and numerous friends.

Along with his parents, Duane is preceded in death by his younger brother and best friend Jimmy (James Boyd) Rankin, who was killed in a car accident in 2011.  Duane missed him every single day.

In the spirit of all things Monaca, in lieu of flowers we are asking for donations to be sent to Monaca Fire Department, PO Box 81, Monaca, PA 15061.

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