Mom,

Your duaghter, your husband and your siblings are all gone. Of all of us left, I knew you the longest and I knew you the best.

In all of youe life you never asked for anything.

You lived for me and Judy and our children and their children and their children's children. We were your treasures and pleasures.

I still remember, I don't know why, an early leason you taught me. We were sitting on our front porch on Normanhurst Avenue on a hot summer's day. You told me to go in and wash my hands before I ate my apple, otherwise I might get sick.

I thank Anne for taking care of you and your many pains in the last few years.

You made better pies and perogies than anyone.

In all your life I don't know that you ever sinned. I know you nver swore, stole or broke any of the 10 commandments. You are surely in heaven.

You are now without pain and are in peace. Please enjoy.

You are the best mother I could ever have had. I will love you for ever.

Your son,

Dave

Although I never met Granny I do know her granddaughter Tracy. From Tracy I learned how important Granny was in her life, how supportive she was and how much love they shared. No matter what - Granny was always "there" for Tracy. I'm sure she'll watch over you forever.

My partner and I met Granny at Tracy and Nathaniel's wedding in Vancouver. We both thought her a really spunky lady with a good sense of humour. I know a lot about her through my many chats with her grand-daughter Tracy. I know from Tracy that she loved her Granny and will miss her so much. Granny was Tracy's connection to her mother who passed away 19 years ago. My thoughts are with the whole family.

Grandma (Dorothy) Duff, it was such a pleasure to meet and know you for these past many years.  You were one of the most brave, courageous and loving woman we have known and you will be sorely missed by all who have known you.  With All Our Love, Don and Betty

Granny Duff always extended warm and kind words, along with very positive encouragement, whenever I talked with her. I knew her only for a decade, but was personally inspired by how she lived her life. She had a clear ability to overcome personal weaknesses, selfishness and to instead skip through life's hurdles/difficulties with amazing ease and simplicity, despite any bruises in doing so. 
I suspect this is because she had lived life being highly engaged, while experiencing to the fullest many of its challenging twists and turns. An example of this, is how proud she was of her lovely house. She clearly had worked hard and had strived for a better life for her family.

In my many in-depth conversations and reflections on life with her, she expressed many regrets that certain events or periods in time didn't always turn out the way she had hoped or thought they would. She commented that she felt that all she could do - was keep on her life path and be the first to demonstrate leadership and perseverance. It was not up to her -I remember her clearly exclaiming- to dictate to others how to be better persons, but she did consider it important and her role to provide  clear advice to make others aware and more considerate, to help put them on the right track. After all, she was just being herself and demonstrating her strong willpower and determination for a better life and world.

I enjoyed learning and talking with her about her family history and background. I distinctly remember how warmly she welcomed me into the family alongside other family members (Auntie Anne and Uncle Dave), when marrying her granddaughter, Tracy while making it all the way across the country to our wedding. Having her there, alongside other family members, made the day that much more special for Tracy and I, as well as the fond and fun memories of such special life times shared together, along with her 90th birthday celebration.

She spoke extremely highly of her granddaughter and admired so much the common family traits they shared – that includes a wonderfully sharp and logical mind, clearest of memory, and strong desire for tidiness, truths and factual information on just about everything. Her capacity to learn new ideas and reason new situations was incredible right to her last days. For this reason, I think she would have made a brilliant scientist (like I consider Tracy to be), had she had more opportunity for higher education, particularly as a woman.  It is not surprising that she continuously supported Tracy through her education through the tough years of doctorate study and further professorship. I suspect it was because a part of her was so strongly linked with Tracy's life goals and endeavours, despite obvious distance between Burlington/Oakville and Vancouver. To me, it is clear, there was the help of a mother not easily seen here on Earth perhaps, but there by the side of both family members, ensuring they remained close and safe. The very last words I remember them sharing over the phone was her saying that she loved Tracy very much, for which Tracy had responded  'I love you too Granny'. 
Perfect words to 'pass the baton' on between family members, for which there are new family responsibilities. As well, she did hold on enough to meet her new family member and great-grandson, Tepairu  or 'Tepi'– who she expressed such joy and affection towards for - during their brief, but very magical time together. 

I will look forward to the many fun family times ahead and always make sure that there is a few extra seats available for when Granny Duff and her daughter join us.

Granny Duff always extended warm and kind words, along with very positive encouragement, whenever I talked with her. I knew her only for a decade, but was personally inspired by how she lived her life. She had a clear ability to overcome personal weaknesses, selfishness and to instead skip through life's hurdles/difficulties with amazing ease and simplicity, despite any bruises in doing so. 
I suspect this is because she had lived life being highly engaged, while experiencing to the fullest many of its challenging twists and turns. An example of this, is how proud she was of her lovely house. She clearly had worked hard and had strived for a better life for her family.

In my many in-depth conversations and reflections on life with her, she expressed many regrets that certain events or periods in time didn't always turn out the way she had hoped or thought they would. She commented that she felt that all she could do - was keep on her life path and be the first to demonstrate leadership and perseverance.   It was not up to her -I remember her clearly exclaiming- to dictate to others how to be better persons, but she did consider it important and her role to provide  clear advice to make others aware and more considerate, to help put them on the right track. After all, she was just being herself and demonstrating her strong willpower and determination for a better life and world.

I enjoyed learning and talking with her about her family history and background. I distinctly remember how warmly she welcomed me into the family alongside other family members (Auntie Anne and Uncle Dave), when marrying her granddaughter, Tracy while making it all the way across the country to our wedding. Having her there, alongside other family members, made the day that much more special for Tracy and I, as well as the fond and fun memories of such special life times shared together, along with her 90th birthday celebration.

She spoke extremely highly of her granddaughter and admired so much the common family traits they shared – that includes a wonderfully sharp and logical mind, clearest of memory, and strong desire for tidiness, truths and factual information on just about everything. Her capacity to learn new ideas and reason new situations was incredible right to her last days. For this reason, I think she would have made a brilliant scientist (like I consider Tracy to be), had she had more opportunity for higher education, particularly as a woman.  It is not surprising that she continuously supported Tracy through her education through the tough years of doctorate study and further professorship. I suspect it was because a part of her was so strongly linked with Tracy's life goals and endeavours, despite obvious distance between Burlington/Oakville and Vancouver. To me, it is clear, there was the help of a mother not easily seen here on Earth perhaps, but there by the side of both family members, ensuring they remained close and safe. The very last words I remember them sharing over the phone was her saying that she loved Tracy very much, for which Tracy had responded  'I love you too Granny'. 
Perfect words to 'pass the baton' on between family members, for which there are new family responsibilities. As well, she did hold on enough to meet her new family member and great-grandson, Tepairu  or 'Tepi'– who she expressed such joy and affection towards for - during their brief, but very magical time together. 

I will look forward to the many fun family times ahead and always make sure that there is a few extra seats available for when Granny Duff and her daughter join us.

Granny  here I sit having a tea and shortbread                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  crying again  What am I going to do @ 701 Saturday? Bake me a pie please. Tell my Baba and Gido I love them.  Yes Vancouver won as you hoped in our last talk. Will e-mail  blue-jays  that they better win !

There is so much I could say about Mom,Granny or Grandma as she was known in our family.She in fact did become my Mom when Baba died 25 years ago. She treated me like a daughter. She would listen to my ranting and raving and then calm me down with a few words of wisdom.She was much loved by our son David. She looked forward to his phone call every Saturday at 10.I am still looking at the clock at 9:05 waiting for her daily phone call.
She had a great dry sense of humor and could keep up with the best.
In the last 5 years she became very fussy about her hair and her clothes.It was about time. She sacrified all the niceties for herself so her family could have what they needed.
In the last few years she had so much pain with her heart,her arthritis and her bad leg that she could hardly walk. Her macular degeneration had made her almost blind but she still loved watching the Blue Jays and the Maple Leafs.
As much as she said she was ready to go.I wasn't ready to let her go. But,I guess God knew better.She is gone from our sight but never from our hearts.

The memories of my Granny spam the last 41 years (almost double the memories I have of my mother). The earliest memories are of going to her home on Barnett and always seeing treats in her fridge, jello and pudding in those little glass cups, and she ALWAYS had whipping cream to go on top. 
Granny would call me pumpkin, whenever I was staying with her and Grandpa, as I did for about one week each summer. She would make me salami sandwiches and chicken soup, for some reason no salami sandwich anywhere else tasted as good! Her breakfasts of bacon, eggs, hash-browns, pickles and tomatoes. The pies she made you for your birthday, my favourites ranged from chocolate pudding to pumpkin and as an adult lemon meringue. To this day no ones pies, cookies, pedaheh or cabbage rolls taste as good as my Granny's! After my mom passed away and I would come to visit her while in school she prepared me meals to take back, and no matter how hard I try, to this day I cannot cook with the ease and perfection she seemed to master so easily!

 Granny was always there for me to talk to and offer advice that was practical, useful and really related to my problems. She seemed to offer a solution before I was even done explaining my situation. Things that came to her mind easily, knowledge that we, no matter how advanced we have become in the last 100 years, don't think of. Things living through 94 years of life you have learned, the experiences you have shared.  Her memory was as good as ever, recalling stories of growing up in very hard times, I remember her telling me to put bubble gum on my leaking bathtub drain—well I went and got plumber putty (which is pretty much the same thing) and it did the job and held for over 2 years! I also wrote an essay on the great depression and her mind graphically recalled the hard times everyone went through.
Reading about history is not the same as sharing peoples experiences and hearing their life stories.

I have never and will never taste a pie as good as Granny's lemon meringue and when people ask me, why I don't eat the crust on any pie or tart I eat—I say, because it isn't Granny's crust! After tasting her pastry, others will never compare.

A large part of me is gone now that Granny has past away but I take pride in people telling me your Granny was feisty and boy Tracy, you are just like her! I am grateful she got to meet my son Tepairu but very sad that he will never get to know a Granny like I had, an extremely caring woman, who was always there for you with love and support and we all know her speaking her mind. I love you Granny
and I will miss you so very much.  I also think I'll adopt the phrase “like, you know” to keep it alive and well and in the family! Because, like, you know, Granny deserves to be remembered and to live on!

I was so blessed to have known "Granny" for the last 8 years. What a wonderful caring lady who always thought about others. I enjoyed chatting with her and visiting with her the few times I was lucky enough to. May you rest now Granny, Heaven will be a much brighter place with you there. My sympathy is sent to all of you at this difficult time. 
Barb Esler Nanaimo, BC

Susan and I were so sorry hear of the passing of your Mother. Our sympathy to you, Anne and your family. Last year was a difficult one for us as well as we lost both of Susan's parents. May God bless you all. Phil and Susan Young

OBITUARIO

Dorothy Duff

3 enero, 1918 – 24 mayo, 2011

Markey-Dermody Funeral Home

Muestre su apoyo

Comparta Un Recuerdo

Comparta
Un Obituario

Obtenga actualizaciones

Servicios