Emma Helena Duffy

Emma Helena Duffy (nee Chow Shook Wah), a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister, neighbor and friend, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by family on September 9th, 2024; she was 89. Emma's life was a testament to resilience, adventure, and unwavering curiosity.

Emma, born in Hong Kong, the youngest of six, had a passion for learning/teaching, traveling, meeting people, cooking, singing in the St. Ann Choir, and tennis. Her early childhood was during the tumultuous years of WWII where life was far from easy; she had vivid memories of being bombed and thinking she could die any day. This greatly influenced how she lived and relished the rest of her life. After graduating from Hong Kong University and teaching for a year, she traveled to Hawaii to attain her master's degree in Geography. Returning from the U.S. to Hong Kong, she answered an ad to teach in Malaysia where she met and married Michael John Duffy, a Peace Corps volunteer who later became a Foreign Service Officer. She moved around the world with Michael, building a family together and living in Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia, Egypt, Belgium, Illinois, and Virginia. While raising their four children, Emma also worked as a civil servant mathematician, geographer and teacher. Once her children were older and increasingly independent, tennis became a constant pastime during all her travels. She played with her kids, as well as anyone she could find at the court or in an overseas community. In her 30+ years of retirement, she would take courses at NoVA Community College and spend her mornings playing tennis at Bluemont Park in Arlington with the senior's group or whomever showed up and wanted to play. She served on the Arlington County Department of Parks and Recreation Sports and Fitness Committee for 15 years, was widely known as being very welcoming to all, particularly beginners, and was affectionately referred to as the "Mayor" of the Bluemont Tennis Courts. Whenever she was at the courts, everyone knew you played according to "Emma's rules". She was very thankful to be able to still spend time, up to her very last days, within this community.

Emma is survived by: her husband (Michael); her daughters Marie Duffy of Arlington, VA, Teresa Duffy Plott (Steve) of Chantilly, VA, Carolyn Duffy of Philadelphia, PA and son Greg Duffy (Shelly) of Cary, NC; four grandchildren (Preston, Ryan, Isabella and Drew) as well as her brother and sister (Chow Shut On and Chow Shook Jun) residing in Hong Kong.

Celebration of Life Mass will be at St. Ann Catholic Church, Arlington, VA on September 20th, 2024, at 11am. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to the American Bladder Cancer Society, https://bladdercancersupport.org; or the Alliance for Arlington Senior Programs, https://friendsofthealliance.org.