Frederick Raymond Durkin

Frederick (Fred) was born on May 18, 1940 at home in Waltham, Massachusetts to Natalie L. (Creonte) Durkin and Francis T. Durkin. He was pre-deceased three short weeks ago by his wife of 62 years, Judith M. (Carruthers) Durkin. Fred is survived by his children Marie Lewis and husband Denis of Sudbury MA, Leanne Feinberg and husband Harold of Eastham MA, Daniel Durkin and wife Wendy of Sudbury MA and was Papa to his grandchildren Amanda Wilcinski Costolo (Robert), Stephen Wilcinski III (Jessica), Jonathan Lewis (Shauna), Catherine Lewis Coakley (Ryan), Conor Lewis, Brianna Durkin, Tyler Durkin and Ryan Durkin as well as six beautiful great-grandchildren. He also leaves his sister Natalie L. Provost of Plymouth MA, Thomas F. Durkin (Eleanor) of Weston, MA, Walter F. Durkin (Sheila) of Gloucester, MA as well as a niece and several nephews. He was pre-deceased by his parents and beloved daughter Donna M. Durkin.

A lifelong resident of Waltham until his retirement as a Captain on the Waltham Fire Department, Fred was the third child of Gus and Natalie Durkin. He spent much of his young childhood getting into all kinds of mischief with his Pond Street buddies until his mother enrolled him in the Saint Mary’s Parish Catholic School. He told so many amusing stories about his adventures on Pond Street that his grandchildren would roll their eyes at the beginning of each tale, which would often start with the phrase “When I was growing up on Pond Street….” Fred eventually made his way to Waltham High School with his brother Tommy where they made a name for themselves as hockey players, Fred being the goalie, but more importantly he met the love of his life Judy Carruthers who would become his bride for 62 amazing years.

Fred was a dedicated and committed Waltham Firefighter and worked on the department for 29 years before his retirement in 1998. He had an extensive network of fire department co-workers who became lifelong friends sharing contracting projects, travel adventures, golf outings and group dinners. Fred loved his Waltham roots and no matter where he was in the world, he somehow managed to find a Waltham connection with the strangers he met along the way. If for some reason the Waltham theme didn’t pan out, he would dig into the histories of his children and grandchildren to find a connection. His grandchildren found this endlessly amusing because he would undoubtedly call, sometimes after a late night out, with a story of someone he had met who knew them in some roundabout way.

Fred was always busy, either on a shift at the fire station or working his side job as a carpenter; the skills and work ethic he learned as a teenager from his Creonte uncles, Tony and Dom, while helping them build hotels in Eastham MA on the outer cape in the late 1950’s. Fred used those same skills to help Judy’s parents build a cottage in North Eastham where they continued to enjoy the outer Cape with their young and growing family spending many summer vacations at the ‘cottage’. As his children grew into adults with their own families, Fred was always there to lead the charge on a new house to be built or a renovation to complete. He loved being able to work along side his family to teach them and show them that working hard with your own hands was a very noble way to build equity and relationships. He could always be counted on to lend a hand to anyone who asked, often declining payment for his services.

As Judy and Fred approached retirement, they designed and built their own house using Judy’s desire to accommodate family and friends and Fred’s carpentry skills to create their dream home. They worked together for a few years to make it a reality, and to live in Eastham permanently at what has become the Durkin Compound, the ultimate destination for creating our lasting family memories. As Fred and Jude settled into retirement, they would spend many an evening out enjoying dinner and drinks at the local establishments meeting up with new and old friends. Arnold’s Lobster & Clam Bar, the ‘Ho’, the Fairway, Double Dragon, and the Kitchen at Tern Inn were favorites. Judy was fond of saying that all she needed for a fun night out was “her lipstick and Fred”. Occasionally they would park at Rock Harbor for a romantic view of the sunset with the sunroof open, and then search out muffins and coffee for a night cap.

During the winter months, Fred and Judy would travel to their second favorite place, Marco Island, FL to enjoy the sunshine and meet new friends, maintaining those friendships for many years. Fred spent many hours as a Habitat for Humanity volunteer in the Naples FL area while wintering on Marco. He loved being able to use his builder’s knowledge to help create homes for others, and by virtue of his experience and expertise, he became a leader on the Habitat jobsites, a role he relished for many years. He was a huge Boston Sports Fan and especially enjoyed following the Red Sox. When he and Judy were on Marco, they loved to travel to Fort Myers to watch the Sox play at their spring training home and would often attend games when his daughter Donna was visiting, as she shared their passion for the Sox.

Fred was all about family. He and Judy loved having their people with them in Eastham and were so proud of the fact that they were literally surrounded by the three houses on their street owned by family members. Fred especially adored his grandchildren and was so proud to see them grow into wonderful adults who enjoyed spending time in Eastham with him and Judy or anywhere else for that matter. He never hesitated to call with a funny story, to tell them that he had met someone they might know, to toast a winning Boston sports team or to share a funny story about their ‘grandmother’. His last day was spent with his oldest granddaughter, teaching her how to make his famous spaghetti sauce and meat balls. After that he joined his children, their spouses, some of his grandchildren, their partners and three great grandchildren for conversation, appetizers and cocktails awaiting his favorite spaghetti dinner. Of course, there was ice cream for dessert and then a toast to Mimi with a glass of red wine from our family trip to Italy. It was the perfect ending to a very good day.

We as a family are heartbroken that we have lost both of our parents in such a short period of time and that they won’t be with us in person as we celebrate another family milestone this summer. We are absolutely certain that Mimi and Papa will be with us in spirit, and we have the gift of seeing them reflected in the faces of our children and grandchildren. We will be sustained by the many stories, jokes and family anecdotes to share as we navigate this new normal for our lives. We would also like to acknowledge and thank everyone for the outpouring of love and support we have received over these difficult few weeks as we grieve the loss of our wonderful parents.

Love You Lots Fred & Jude!! XoXo

In lieu of flowers, our family requests that donations be made in memory of Fred to:

Habitat for Humanity of Cape Cod

Checks can be mailed to:

Habitat for Humanity of Cape Cod

411 Main Street, Suite 6

Yarmouth Port, MA 02675

508-362-3559

[email protected]

Please include Frederick Durkin on the memo line of the check.

Or Online:

www.habitatcapecod.org

Select the donation button and identify the gift in memory of Frederick Durkin.

All friends and family are welcome to attend a graveside service in Fred's honor at Mt. Feake Cemetery in Waltham on Friday July 19th, 2024 at 1:00PM.