Brian Duffy

Brian Duffy passed away peacefully on June 1, 2022, at his home in River Vale, NJ, surrounded by his cherished family including his beloved wife, Maura, his four children – Deirdre, Colleen, Tommy and Tara – and his seven grandchildren – Maeve and Cathal (from Australia), Sophia and Keira and Theo (from England), and Amelia and Josephina (from Glen Rock, NJ).

A devoted husband, Brian and Maura celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in December last year. They met in the Bronx in 1961 when they each visited with one of his neighbors. Brian described it as “one of the best visits I made in my lifetime.” Maura, who is from Dublin, Ireland, was visiting New York City for the first time. They married in the same year and lived in the Bronx for a few years before making their home in Bergenfield, then in Closter, NJ, where they raised their family of four. After 44 years in Closter, Brian and Maura moved to River Vale in 2013.

Brian was born on April 30, 1939, to Sarah Mageniss, who was from Co. Armagh in Ireland, and Thomas Duffy, originally from Co. Mayo, Ireland. The family lived at East 120th Street in East Harlem and his father had a carpentry business in the neighborhood.

Brian attended St. Paul’s elementary school then Rice High School in Harlem. Following high school he went to Iona College in New Rochelle, NY, and shortly after started his career as an accountant and CPA. Brian was an extraordinarily loyal alumnus and employee. He spent his successful 55-year career essentially with the same employer, starting as an accountant and CPA with Hauser, O’Connor & Hyland and retiring as a senior partner with PKD O’Connor Davies in 2016. He maintained strong connections with every school he attended. He was a generous donor and also gave generously of his time. He was particularly pleased and honored to have had the opportunity in recent years to give a presentation to student body at St. Paul’s.

Brian loved New York City and worked in Manhattan throughout his career. He impressed many of the visitors he hosted from around the world with his extensive recall of the facts and history of the city while acting as tour guide, a role he loved. As a child, he was taken with the development and history of the railway in New York and rode every train in the system. If you ever got him started talking about railways, you’d quickly appreciate his life-long passion and knowledge on this subject.

Brian Duffy was exceptionally loyal, generous, kind and witty. He was a devoted and loving husband. As a parent, he was a provider, a guider, a champion breakfast cook, and a Dad you could have fun with. As a grandfather, he was also a playmate and chief of keeping the children entertained with games, patiently, for hours.

He was a railway enthusiast, a history buff, a crossword puzzler extraordinaire, a sports fanatic, a keen golfer, a card sharp, a (pretty good) bowler, an accomplished BBQ chef, a great friend. He will be remembered far and wide with great fondness, by many.

“They lived and loved and laughed and left.” -- James Joyce. And will be missed deeply.

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Brian’s many friends and colleagues are invited to join the family at a memorial gathering on Wednesday, June 8, 4:00-7:00pm at Becker Funeral Home. A Mass celebrating Brian’s life will be held on Thursday, June 9, at 10:00am at St. Pius X R.C. Church, 268 Old Tappan Road, Old Tappan, New Jersey. Inurnment will follow at 11:30am by inurnment at George Washington Memorial Park, 234 Paramus Road, Paramus, New Jersey.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Alzheimer’s Foundation of America at www.alzfdn.org, or phone 866-232-8484.