City of Oaks Funeral Home & Cremation
Obituary
Donald McDuffie
Youngsville, North Carolina
Age 81.
Died 10/24/2025.
Don was born to William Cole McDuffie and Elizabeth Dempsey McDuffie, who preceded him in death. He is survived by his beloved wife of 42 years, Deborah (Debbie) McDuffie; his children, Brent McDuffie and wife Gina; Kim Sprague and husband Matt; Jami Braswell and husband Brian; and Julia Barnette. He was a proud and loving grandfather to Davryn McDuffie, Caimin McDuffie, Becket McDuffie, Marin Sprague, Sela Sprague, Bryson Braswell, Mia Braswell, Ayden Barnette, Kelsey Barnette, and Samantha Barnette. He is also survived by his brother Allan McDuffie and wife Margaret, his brother-in-law Frank Swaim and wife Linda, along with many nieces, nephews and friends who adored him.
Throughout his life, Don exemplified kindness, dignity, and steadfast love for his family and friends, even in the face of health challenges. His loyal dog, Oscar, was his constant companion for more than 17 years. Don’s warmth and gentle spirit touched countless hearts, and his quiet wit and artistic talent—especially his beautiful paintings—reflected the depth of his soul.
A proud alumnus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Don earned his bachelor’s degree and went on to a distinguished career at First Citizens Insurance Services, where he retired as Vice President. He also held professional designations as a Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) and Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC).
Above all, Don lived his life as a devoted servant of Christ. For more than 12 years, he faithfully served as Chairman of the Trustees at his beloved Macon Methodist Church in Macon, NC. He also led the church’s grounds and landscape committee, taking great pride in ensuring its beauty and welcoming spirit.
Don’s legacy of love, faith, and integrity continues to shine through the lives of those he cherished. We find comfort in knowing that his gentle presence will forever live in our hearts.
A service celebrating Don’s life will be held on Saturday, November 15, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. at Macon Methodist Church, 107 Church Road, Macon, NC 27551.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the church Don so dearly loved, Macon Methodist Church.
For additional information or for service details, please reach out to the family directly.
You can share this obituary using the following address, or click the button below to share on Facebook.
City of Oaks Cremation and Funeral Home is a full-service funeral home in Raleigh, serving all of North Carolina and beyond. We provide an alternative to costly funeral homes and every day we help families in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and all over North Carolina make simple, affordable funeral arrangements.
Simply having to reach out to a funeral home can feel overwhelming. Our goal is to simplify the entire funeral home experience and make the process as easy as possible. We hope to eliminate any unnecessary surprises by publishing our total cost and the services we provide directly on our website. All of our obituaries are provided free of charge as a way to help families celebrate and commemorate the lives of their loved ones.
Our Promise
Apples to Apples
Just like all other licensed funeral homes in North Carolina, City of Oaks Cremation, LLC is regulated by the NC Board of Funeral Service.
The same laws that apply to the big corporate funeral homes also apply to the modest independently owned firms like ours. All crematories in North Carolina, regardless of who owns them, are inspected annually by the state and must adhere to the same rules and laws.
Genuine Care
We're committed to providing families within our community unsurpassed service before, during and after the time of loss.
Our staff will provide clear communication to your family through each step as we move forward from the original phone call notifying us of a death to the time we deliver the urn back to your family. We will treat your family with the utmost respect, as we honor the wishes of your loved one.
We promise to make this process affordable and as endurable as possible.
State Wide
Our Funeral Home is located in Wake County NC; however, we provide our services to families throughout the entire State.
Unlike other funeral homes, we don't charge an additional mileage fee. Regardless of what county you live in, we can help your family with making simple, affordable funeral arrangements. From Asheville to Wilmington, we're proud to help families statewide.
Our Services
$1196.75
Nobody likes surprise costs added in at the last minute. We guarantee you will not find any hidden charges here. We include everything you need for a simple or direct cremation. Simple, affordable and reliable. We have not changed the cost of our direct cremation service since we opened City of Oaks in 2012.
$2875.66
We offer the option of choosing how you receive your loved ones remains. Selecting our Direct Cremation with Solidified Remains option is a beautiful way to transform cremated remains into 40-60 “stones” that you can hold.
$1917.84
City of Oaks Funeral Home and Cremation provides an affordable cremation option with onsite visitation. Nobody likes surprise costs added in at the last minute. We guarantee you will not find any hidden charges here. Simple, affordable and reliable.
$1596.75
City of Oaks Funeral Home and Cremation provides an affordable cremation with a private family viewing. A private family viewing allows up to 10 immediate family members or friends to spend time with a loved one when a public visitation is not preferred.
$2497.50
An immediate burial has the same end result as a traditional burial; however, we have eliminated the extra (sometimes unnecessary) services prior to getting to the cemetery. Not everyone wants an open casket for viewing or a limousine for the family. Despite the term immediate, we can move as fast as you need or as slow as you like. This option simply allows you to save money by eliminating some of the fancy extras at the funeral home.
$6081.48
We offer the same traditional funeral services as the big corporately owned funeral homes in the area; however, we cost about half the amount. You might consider a traditional funeral service if your family is looking for an open casket visitation, a traditional church service or a funeral service in the funeral home's chapel. A traditional funeral service can be altered to fit the needs of your family.
$3033.75
This establishment is one of a select number of funeral homes who meet the criteria for providing green funeral service by the Green Burial Council; a tax-exempt, nonprofit organization working to encourage environmentally sustainability in the field of funeral service. Our Green options allow for a funeral to take place without the use of toxic and non-biodegradable materials/chemicals.
$2640.59
As an alternative to traditional cremation, City of Oaks Funeral Home also offers Aquamation. The Aquamation process, often referred to as alkaline hydrolysis, uses a solution of water and potassium hydroxide to facilitate natural decomposition.