Sister Pamela Duke grew up in Vienna, Virginia with two brothers and two sisters. Her last name before her marriage to Pastor Ralph Duke was Boyd. She attended Virginia State University and graduated with a BS in teaching. She went on to teach and touch the lives of students in the public school system for twenty-five years, and retired from this career in Fairfax County. In addition to her love of teaching, she is a gifted actress and has participated in numerous plays both locally and internationally. She is mother to four wonderful daughters and grandmother to three grandchildren.