Duane Siddoway

Duane Kay Siddoway was born on October 8, 1960, to Ralph Wayne Siddoway and Diane Kay Avery Siddoway. He was the oldest of 6 children. The family lived in the Rigby, Rexburg and Sugar City area during his youth, but most of his memories growing up were living in the Archer/Sunnydell area, south of Rexburg. Duane made lifelong friends there and especially loved horses, baseball and being outdoors. Early in his life his brother Trent and sister Cindy were his constant companions and “Partners in Crime”. Later Randy, Dax and Nichole joined the family. They were raised by hard working parents that were devoted to faith and family.

Duane says when he was 8, he was pretty good at hitting the baseball but had to rest while running the bases to catch his breath. He was diagnosed with a heart condition, Atrial Septal Defect. Today the repair is much less complicated. But in 1968 it required open heart surgery at Primary Children’s Hospital. The Archer Ward Primary raised pennies for him to take, and he left not knowing if he would survive and see his friends again. Throughout his life he enjoyed making up stories of how he got the very large scar from his sternum to his spine.

Duane started moving sprinkler pipe at age 11, he had his own money and says he spent most of it at Howell’s Country Store, on Pepsi, Twinkies and chips.

Before Duane’s 12th birthday he started school at Madison Jr High in Rexburg and made many friends, including a girl from Hibbard, Alicia Griffeth. In 9th grade on the way to the Seminary building, he asked her to the Graduation Dance. She said yes and they both went home and were told by their parents individually that they wouldn’t be going to a dance together at age 14, but they could meet at the school, if the parents drove them and picked them up.

In High School Duane played football, worked hard to earn money for a car, made many friends and loved to be in the middle of any mischief. Some of which gave him the opportunity to spend part of his junior year of high school at Ririe. Where ironically, he was the Scripture Chase Champion in seminary, was training to be quarterback and also nominated to the student council. But when Principal Jack Wilcox came to his home and asked him to come back to Madison to play football, he couldn’t tell him no.

So, Duane played football for Madison, he loved everything about it. They led the state in QB sacks that year, as well as tackles for a loss. They had an exceptional year.

During his high school years Duane (or Sid as he was called) always worked. One of his favorite jobs was working for Grover Distributing. They started at 5:00 am loading the trucks, and then after a big breakfast cooked by Sarah Grover they were off to make the deliveries. He also enjoyed scouts, church basketball, more school pranks, participating in the ‘Madison Boy’s Drill Team”, Seminary with Brother Parker, the Mr. Madison competition, and his 1974 Monte Carlo. (It was Navy blue with a white soft top, custom wheels, TA60 racing tires on the back and a quadriphonic 8 track player, CB radio and even fuzzy dice hanging from the mirror.)

After graduation, Duane moved into an apartment, attended Ricks for a year, worked at Me & Stan’s Restaurant and dated Alicia. She had plans and her dad was worried Duane might interfere with those, so he sent her to Chicago to work for her Aunt and Uncle. Her Dad bought her a ticket to come home only after Duane had his mission papers in.

When Duane left for the Italy Catania Mission in October of 1979, there was 107% attendance at the Archer Ward for his farewell sacrament meeting (likely from surprise!) Duane had much success in a very low baptizing mission. There, the red headed Elder from Idaho, gained an unshakeable testimony of the Plan of Happiness and eternal families.

He and Alicia were married in the Idaho Falls temple on March 26, 1982. They moved to Seattle so she could finish Physical Therapy school at the University of Washington. He served in the church, played a lot of church sports, was the Young Men’s President and worked very hard. The first major challenge of their young married life was the still birth of their first son, Duane Kay Siddoway Jr, who is buried in the Sutton Cemetery in Archer, Idaho. Less than a year later they adopted a beautiful 6-day old baby girl, Avery Kay, named after her dad and her Grandma Edna Avery. She was blessed in the Archer Ward and sealed to them in the Seattle Temple. 13 months later, in November of 1985, Tiana Janae joined the family just after they bought their first home in Issaquah, Washington. It was there that Duane met Quin Snyder, an area high school basketball star. The kids on Duane’s church youth team brought Snyder to a game and asked if this non-LDS kid could play? Snyder was recruited to play basketball for Duke University.

Duane’s work took them to Denver, where Kyle Wayne was born in 1989. They took up skiing while there and made dear friends at work, home and church. Duane’s company was a sponsor of the NCAA Men’s basketball tournament. He was able to meet coach Mike Krzyzewski and attend his first NCAA Men’s basketball Final Four while there. That sealed the deal and Duane was an avid Duke University Men’s Basketball fan forever.

In 1991, work took the young family to the Los Angeles area. They loved the beach, biking and roller blading. A whole different life than they had yet experienced. But when there was a gang shooting less than a mile from their home in Huntington Beach they decided it was time for these Idaho Farm Kids to move home.

They first lived in Sugar City, where Jaymin Gary, and Bryson Samuel joined the family. Duane served as Young Men’s President again. He loved those kids and they loved him.

Duane coached many youth baseball, football, basketball, and even soccer. He also loved going hunting on horseback with the Griffeth’s and spending time with all of their local families.

They moved to Idaho Falls for a couple of years and he started coaching a girls fast pitch softball team Tiana’s age, Team Dynamite. At first, they got beat by everyone but ended up with most of those girls' playing varsity for many of the area’s high schools' fast pitch programs. Tiana’s Varsity team won the only State Fast Pitch softball title ever held by Madison High School.

Rexburg was their home from 2000 to 2018, and Duane served as Bishop of the Mill Hollow 2nd Ward from November of 2012 to February of 2018. Besides his mission, he considered this the greatest work of his life. His relationships with the Stake Presidency, his bishopric and especially the youth of his ward, were close and dear to him.

When he was released and their kids had all graduated from Madison High, Duane and Alicia moved out to the Siddoway family farm east of Rigby and have loved every minute of being back in a country ward and raising horses, pigs, chickens, cows and grandchildren.

Duane’s life has been devoted to his children and grandchildren. Their happiness was always his highest priority. Everything he did was to try to give them a good life and a foundation of faith. Duane loved the gospel of Jesus Christ, he lived it.

He will be remembered for being a hard worker, and for his generosity and service; like showing up for Ward projects when he was in the middle of Cancer treatment, being generous with everything he owned, never giving up on anyone.

He often told his kids, his ball players or the youth he served in church to

“Make an IMPACT”

His life made an impact on so many and we as a family will feel it for the rest of our lives.

On March 28, 2026, surrounded by those he loved most dearly, Duane Kay Siddoway finished his 12 ½ year battle with cancer. We know he waited until he and Alicia’s wedding anniversary was past and the first of their beautiful colts was born. Now our beloved “Papa Duane” is enjoying his reunion with his son Duane Jr. and all his loved ones, thanks to the beautiful Plan of Happiness, and the love of our Heavenly Father and our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Duane Kay Siddoway was preceded in death by his son, Duane Kay Siddoway, Jr., a neice Presley Sullenger, and his mother, Diane Kay Avery Siddoway.

He is survived by his father, Ralph Wayne Siddoway; his wife, Alicia Griffeth Siddoway; his siblings, Trent (Jodi) Siddoway, Cindy (Rodd) Erikson, Randy (Karen) Siddoway, Dax (Melissa) Siddoway, and Nichole (Cameron) Stanford.

His children; Avery (Stephen) Merrell of Logan, Utah, Tiana (Drake) Atwood of Rexburg, Kyle (Brittany) Siddoway of Burlington, Washington, Jaymin (Burgandie) Siddoway of Rigby, and Bryson (Paige) Siddoway of Rexburg.

And the true joy of his life, his grandchildren, Avah McGuire, Emree Atwood, Mayla Atwood, Lincoln Siddoway, Kyson Siddoway, Quinn Siddoway, Jagger Atwood and Hudson Siddoway.

We know there is a plan, it isn’t easy, but it isn’t over.

Funeral Service will be on Tuesday, April 7 at Sunnydale LDS Chapel at 11:00 am. Viewing will be held on Monday, April 6 at Flamm Funeral Home in Rexburg from 5:30-7:00 pm and prior to service from 10:00-10:45 am.