Veedersburg - Esther Colleen (O'Brien) Duncan, 85, of rural Veedersburg, passed peacefully at the Franciscan Health East Hospital, Lafayette on Tuesday, August 29, 2023 at 5:00 a.m.
Esther was born in St. Elizabeth Hospital, Lafayette, Indiana on July 18, 1938.  She was the daughter of the late Joseph and Verna (Roth) O'Brien.  She was raised on the O'Brien family farm in Union Township, near Farmers' Institute, in Tippecanoe County and was the youngest of thirteen (13) children.  She graduated from Shadeland High School and later received her BA degree in History from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College near Terre Haute.
Esther's greatest passion was as a farm woman and agriculturalist. On December 21, 1957, Esther married Harold Lee Duncan in Lafayette, Indiana. Harold preceded her in death on June 3, 1993. Esther lived on the family farm in Richland Township and actively managed it with her family right up to the time of her death—supervising brush removal just days before entering the hospital.
Esther was a fierce advocate for marital equity in Indiana property laws and repealing of inheritance tax code. She frequently lobbied at the statehouse and worked as a counselor for the Indiana Farm Debt Relief Program.
Esther was also an advocate and leader for a number of historical programs. She was a public speaker, author, collaborator, and researcher. Her love of agrarianism and history often intersected in her work with the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery (including memorializing the Pvt. Wm. Bratton gravesite in Waynetown, IN), founder and principal of the Farm Woman's Apron Project, and her work with the Museums and Farm at Prophetstown.
Esther worked for a number of years at North Montgomery Schools as a teachers' aide and with the Tippecanoe County Purdue Extension Department.
Other memberships, affiliations, and volunteerism included Indiana 4-H, Brown Swiss Cattle Breeders Association, Associated Milk Producers, Indiana Pork Producers, various local historical societies, 42nd Royal Highlanders, Indiana Master Gardeners, and St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church.
Esther's family legacy includes her three sons, Brien (Mary) Duncan, Veedersburg, IN; George (Cindy Booe) Duncan, Veedersburg, IN; Daniel (Anastasia Pappas) Duncan, Arlington, MA; a daughter, Anna Catherine (Chris) Jenkins, Moriarty, NM; six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren; a sister, Cecelia (Richard) Albrechts, Las Vegas, NV.  She was preceded in death by eleven (11) siblings.
One of her highlights of her life was recognition for her humanitarian service by being named a "Kentucky Colonel" by Governor Paul Patton in 2003.
A memorial gravesite service will be held at St. Mary's Cemetery, Lafayette, IN on Friday, October 6th, at 12:00 p.m. with Rev. David Rasner officiating.  Please make memorial contributions in memory of Esther (and in lieu of flowers) to the Kentucky Colonels Good Works Program, 943 S. First St., Louisville, KY 40203.