John Kenneth Duggan

It is with deep regret that we inform friends and family that John Kenneth “Ken” Duggan passed away on June 22nd, 2021 at the age of 78. Ken passed peacefully in the company of his family after a valiant year-long fight against ALS/Lou Gehrig’s Disease. He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Laurene Duggan, and his two children, Denise Duggan and Brian Kenneth Duggan. Ken was a loving and devoted husband, father, son, brother, brother-in-law, uncle, cousin and friend who always put those he loved before all else.

Ken was born on November 17th, 1942 to Ann McElroy Duggan and John Joseph Duggan in the Park Slope section of Brooklyn, New York. He attended St. Michael’s High School and attended St. Francis College (Class of ’65), where he was a member of the Beta chapter of Phi Rho Pi fraternity. He met many lifelong friends in college, earned his Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics, and most importantly: he met his future wife, and the love of his life, Laurene Anne Farrell, whom he married on June 24th, 1967. He later went on to earn a Master’s degree in Mathematics from Pace University.

Ken’s education had a profound impact on his life; he himself was a natural and gifted teacher. Upon graduating college, he embarked on a career as an educator and school administrator which spanned over four decades, and he was a mentor to thousands of students – students from Bishop Ford H.S., Edward R. Murrow H.S., Yeshiva University, Pace University, Nyack High School, Mamaroneck H.S., Tenafly H.S., and DeWitt Clinton H.S. Ken finished his career at Albertus Magnus Catholic High School in Rockland County.

Ken loved to garden, play golf, reading, the theatre, listening to music and was an avid baseball fan. He retained a retentive and inquisitive mind throughout his life, and never lost his passion for learning. He enjoyed vacationing with friends and family in Cape Cod, MA, and had a wide and varied scope of interests.

Ken’s intelligence, sense of humor and keen insight were immediately apparent to all who met him. Those whose lives he touched knew him to be generous, compassionate, brave in the face of adversity, and a source of comfort and guidance to anyone in a time of need. Above all else, he placed the highest value on caring for his family and friends, with unflagging and uncommon devotion, loyalty, honor, selflessness and personal integrity. His love and his laughter were his hallmarks, and he enriched the lives of those who knew him. He is and will continue to be greatly missed.

In lieu of flowers, Ken’s family requests that donations be made to the ALS Association of Greater New York ( https://www.als-ny.org/ )