Obituary of Patricia Elena Duffy

Patricia Elena Duffy, 69

Patricia E. Duffy (nee Degnan), of West Orange, passed away on Friday, July 1, 2022.  She was surrounded in her final days, as she was in her life, by a family that loved her deeply, and always knew that they were loved deeply by her.

Visiting will be held on Wednesday, July 6, 2022 from 2-4 & 6-8 PM at The Dangler Funeral Home of West Orange, 340 Main St. in West Orange. At the request of the family, masks are required. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Patti’s name to: Operation Smile, 3641 Faculty Blvd., Virginia Beach, VA 23453.

Committal Services will be held on Thursday at 11:00 AM at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in East Hanover.

Patti devoted much of her life to helping others. She graduated from Stonehill College, and obtained her Masters of Social Work from Rutgers University. She served as the Director of Welfare and Senior Service Coordinator for the Township of West Orange, and organized Thanksgiving food drives and Holiday toy drives for Township residents in need. She was a co-founder of the West Orange Domestic Violence Response Team, through which she provided support to victims of domestic violence in the immediate aftermath of trauma. She served on the Board of the John P. Renna Jr. House, a senior community in West Orange. 

She was the beloved wife of Thomas P. Duffy for 45 years.  Tom, who has never liked the beach nor much cared for cats, accompanied her to the beach every summer and co-existed with a series of cats, two of whom remain in his loving care. She will be missed by her son Ryan D. Duffy, and his fiancée, Clara Goldfarb, of Los Angeles, CA, and by her son Kevin J. Duffy, and his husband, Travis Scales, of Mendham, NJ. They all like the beach, and will continue to drag Tom there, as Patti would have. She will be missed by her brother James and his wife, Sharon, of The Woodlands, Texas, John and his wife, Mary, of Chester, NJ, Peter and his wife, Robyn, of Atlanta, GA, and her sister-in-law, Jane Degnan, of Tinton Falls, NJ. She was predeceased by her father, James A. Degnan, her mother, Ann (Gould) Degnan, and her brother, Judge Michael J. Degnan.  Her life was enriched by many cousins, nieces, nephews, friends, and colleagues.