Obituary: Duane Leonard Burright

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Duane Leonard Burright

Longtime resident of Malibu Duane Leonard Burright passed away on Sept. 8 at the age of 88.

Burright was born on April 23, 1927 in Egan, S.D. to Charlotte and Leonard Burright.

As the Great Depression swept the nation, the Burright family relocated to Venice, Calif. In 1946, Burright enlisted in the U.S. Army and was deployed to Japan where he worked in the motor pool at an Army hospital. In 1948, he met his future wife, Audrey. They married in 1951, moved to Malibu and built their home in 1957 on Point Dume.

Burright started his career as a machinist and worked in the aerospace industry during the Space Race. One project that he worked on was the docking probe of the Lunar Module in the Apollo 13 mission. Burright spent the later part of his career at HRL Laboratories in Malibu as an inspector in the machine shop precision room. He retired from HRL in 1992.

Burright enjoyed fishing, and he fished off of Paradise Cove Pier and the sport fishing boat ‘Gentleman,’ which operated out of the cove prior to El Niño storm damage to the pier in 1983.

“Duane also enjoyed driving his hot-rodded 1971 El Camino and had a soft spot for dogs,” a loved one shared.

Burright is survived by his wife of 64 years Audrey; their children Kathy Burright Carney (husband Jay Carney) and Duane Burright Jr.; grandchildren Blake and Garrett Carney; and the family’s German shepherd, Cosmo.

Burright’s ashes will be scattered off of the northern Malibu coast by the family.