James P. Duffy

BELMONT — A funeral Mass for James Peter Duffy, 83, will be celebrated on Friday (today), July 31, at the Church of St. Luke in Belmont.

James Duffy - Jim to those who knew him - was born in Cambridge, to the son of the late Peter Damian and Florence (McNally) Duffy, the third of what would be eight children. He grew up in Watertown, in the midst of the Great Depression, and later the Second World War. After graduating from Waltham Trade School and Watertown High, he served in the Army Air Forces until 1946.

Returning home at the end of World War II, Jim began building houses in his native Watertown, employing the skills his father, also a builder, had imparted to him years before. Over a period of 15 years, he constructed more than 100 homes, as well as a nursing facility, Charlesgate Manor, also located in Watertown. Along with a group of close friends, he created the "Alpine Club" in North Conway, N.H. He served as an overseer of Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, as a trustee of the Union Market National Bank, which later became Bay Bank, and was a member of the Hyannis Yacht Club and the Belmont Hill Club.

In 1961, he went into business with his brothers Norman, Harvey, and Robert, to form Duffy Associates. Together they constructed hundreds of homes in Greater Boston, quickly expanding their company to become owners and operators of nursing homes, apartments, office buildings, commercial R&D, warehouse and retail buildings located throughout Massachusetts and New Hampshire. They founded diverse businesses outside of real estate as well. The Village Home Center building supplies store, Waverly Oaks Athletic Club, Glenn Realty, and Duffy Brothers Construction, all located in Waltham, are among their achievements.

The brothers at Duffy Associates were early developers of condominiums. The Village in Watertown, was one of their earlier projects, the 308-garden apartment units acquired and remodeled in the early 1970s. Complexes in Hyannis, Belmont, and New Hampshire followed soon after.

Jim loved the challenges of being a builder. He found opportunities for creativity everywhere, in his work and in his personal life, and was a joy to his very extensive family. His wit and humor were legendary; he was a darn good dancer and could tell one hell of a story. His widely regarded social exploits need not be mentioned here. Jim died on Monday evening, July 27, 2009, at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston.

He is survived by his wife, Pamela (Haley) Duffy, his son, Patrick Duffy, and his daughter, Breanne Duffy, all of Belmont; two brothers, Norman J. Duffy and his wife Cynthia of Lexington, and Robert L. Duffy and his wife Natalie of Weston; and sister, Marie Barry, wife of the late Hon. John Barry of Pittsfield. He was also a loving brother to the late Harvey D. Duffy and his surviving wife Joan Duffy of Lexington, the late Kathleen Shirley Burke and her husband the late Edwin Burke and his surviving wife Mary Burke, now of Acton, the late Mary Elene Shriber and her late husband Emmet "Bill" Shriber, and the late Edmund Duffy and his surviving wife Joan Duffy, now of Vermont — along with some 30 nieces and nephews, copious grand and great grandnieces and grandnephews, and a vast extended family on Prince Edward Island, Canada, and in Ireland.

The funeral will be from the MacDonald, Rockwell & MacDonald Funeral Home at 270 Main St., on Route 20, Watertown, on Friday (today), at 9:30 a.m., followed by a funeral Mass at 10:30 in the Church of St. Luke, 132 Lexington St., Belmont. Interment will be in the Highland Meadow Cemetery, 700 Concord Ave., Belmont. Relatives and friends are kindly invited to attend.

Memorial contributions may be made to Missionary Society of St. James the Apostle, 24 Clark St., Boston, MA 02109, or to Ulfelder Healing Garden, Development Office, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), 165 Cambridge St., Suite 600, Boston 02114.

For further information, please visit www.macdonaldrockwell.com or call 617-924-4700.