Thomas Edward Duffy

Thomas E. Duffy, age 56, died Tuesday, November 25, 2014 at Heartland Health Care Center in Grosse Pointe Woods. Thomas was born January 17, 1958 in Detroit to the late Edward Francis and the late Doris Hermabelle (nee: Griebe) Duffy.Mr. Duffy was employed by the city of Warren, a job that he held in the highest respect and one in which he gave the best of himself for many years. Possessing strong work ethics and a desire to better his position and stature, Thomas was quite proud of the fact that he started at the bottom and worked his way up the ladder with his own brand of drive and determination. He ultimately retired from the city of Warren as a Maintenance Supervisor after extending the utmost in dedicated service.Thomas was the ultimate family man. He always put the wants and needs of his family first. His greatest family joy was that of being a grandparent. His grandchildren held a special place in his heart and he would always carry a pocket full of change just so he had something to pass out to the little ones. Essentially, he was a big kid at heart, and that was always quite evident at one of his favorite times of year, Halloween. Thomas was a man who said exactly what was on his mind and would not sugar coat any thought or opinion he held. He wasn't a meat and potatoes kind of guy, rather he loved to eat anything that was a carbohydrate. Waffles were his absolutely favorite food. He also liked burnt toast and black coffee. He would tell the waitress to take the toast out of the toaster just before she needed to call the fire department. Thomas would not buy anything if it wasn't made in America,...he was the ultimate "Buy American" patriot. Mr. Duffy was given the nickname, "Tinker" which reflected his love for tinkering with anything mechanical. He was the master of taking a car that did not run, and in just a short time have it ready for the road again. As a result of his passion for tinkering with things, he often frequented the local scrap yards looking for parts for his current projects. These local scrap yards were almost like a second home to him. Another of Thomas' passions, and his idea of the perfect day, was taking long drives to places far & wide in search of out of town newspapers.He was the beloved husband of JoAnn. Dear brother of Linda (Don Sr.) Willhite, uncle of Don Willhite Jr., and the loving grandfather of nine, who were the apple of his eye.A Memorial Service for Thomas will be held at 2:00pm on Saturday, December 6th at the funeral home. The family will receive friends on Saturday from 1:00 pm until the time of the memorial service.Please share memories of Mr. Duffy at his memory book.