Duane Putnam  
An executive in the pharmaceutical industry and employee wellness field whose later works centered in the field of cancer, succumbed to that same disease with heroic fortitude and passed away on January 22, 2020. He was 69 and lived in Ambler, Pennsylvania with Elizabeth, his wife of 46 years. A native of Lena, Ohio, Mr. Putnam earned a Bachelor of Business Administration and Management degree from Ohio University in 1973 and was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity where he was affectionately named after Rufus Putnam, a founding trustee of the university. He began his career in the pharmaceutical industry when he was hired by Pennwalt Pharmaceuticals in 1973 and thereafter by Pfizer in 1979. Mr. Putnam proved an immediate success with Pfizer, following a career path through a variety of sales-related promotions of increasing responsibility in Ohio, Memphis, Atlanta, California, New York, Chicago, and Washington, DC. Pfizer honored him with several awards and ultimately inducted him into its Hall of Fame. Mr. Putnam then shifted his focus from pharmaceuticals to employee wellness and was employed by several companies to achieve that end including Edington Associates, Walgreens, NantHealth, and eventually National Comprehensive Cancer Network, a non-profit alliance of cancer centers where he undertook the fight to improve and facilitate accessible cancer care. Mr. Putnam's proudest achievement, however, was being received with his wife into the Catholic Church in 2004. Mr. Putnam was an avid and competitive adventurist who enjoyed running, fishing, hiking, cycling, tennis, golf, and the pursuit of the perfect yard. For fifteen years he and his wife sailed the Chesapeake on their boat docked in Annapolis. Mr. Putnam is survived by his wife Elizabeth, son Alexander and daughter-in-law Katrina Theisz, brother David and sister-in-law Windley, sister-in-law Kathleen as well as a number of nieces, nephews, and cousins. A traditional Requiem Low Latin Mass for Mr. Putnam will be held 10 am, Wednesday January 29, 2020 at Saint Mary Mother of God Church 727 5th St. NW Washington, DC 20001 followed by the Rite of Committal at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Aspen Hill, MD. Relatives and friends are invited to the Church Wednesday after 9 a.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Mr. Putnam's honor to the Saint Mary Mother of God Parish building fund at the above address. Arrangements William R. May Funeral Home Glenside ~ North Wales (www.mayfuneralhome.com)