John Allen Duggan

John was born on August 5th, 1956 in Woodside NY, the third of six children born to Denis and
Eileen Duggan. He spent his earlier years moving from Bethpage to Chelmsford, Mass and
eventually the family settled in Ridgefield, Ct. where he attended St. Mary's School and
Immaculate High School in Danbury, Ct. He graduated from Manhattan College with a B.A. in
History and was awarded a fellowship to study Irish History at the University of Galway. He
then went on to pursue a MA in History with a concentration in Irish History at Fordham
University where he was a Teaching Fellow. Later in life, he obtained a MA in Education from
Hofstra University.
His early career was spent at Unisys where he was an Account Manager overseeing
relationships with Citibank and the Pentagon. He also spent 15 years at various Wall Street
Brokerage firms and unfortunately was an eyewitness to the horrific 9/11 event. He was
revered for shepherding many of the older employees from the building at 80 Pine Street and
obtaining supplies for their safety before exiting the building. In 2007, he opted to pursue his
passion and became a High School History/Economics Teacher at Freeport High School. He
loved teaching and was a firm believer that everyone can achieve the American Dream with the
proper tutelage and dedication. He spent countless hours tutoring, coaching, supplying treats
to his numerous students and supporting every Freeport Fund Raiser.
John was a man of many interests which he pursued with great discipline. He was an avid
golfer and was a daily visitor to the golf range at Eisenhower Park to ensure he hit his hundred
balls to prep for his weekly game with the Shamrocks, his beloved golf league. He completed
four Marathons, Marine Corp and New York, each twice and numerous 5 and 10K races,
carrying on his Father's passion for track and field events. He also was an avid musician with
an enviable ear for composition. He loved to strum his guitar or tickle the ivories and compose
beautiful songs; many reflecting the characteristics of his children and grandsons.
Lastly and above all John was a dedicated family man. He married his true love, Jane
Calabrese on March 27th, 1982 after dating throughout college. After living in Ridgewood, NY
and Kensington, MD, they settled in Rockville Centre in 1986 where they raised their four
children. Erin of NYC; Patrick and his wife Courtney of Malverne; Anna and her husband,
Christopher of East Rockaway and William (Will) of Astoria, NY. Rory Thomas Duggan and
Conor Patrick Duggan, his two grandsons, were the light of his life. A traditional weekly
highlight was his delivery of Nutty Butty No Cocoa smoothies as their Sunday treat.
He is survived by his four beloved sisters, Kathleen Seergy (Michael) ; Maureen McVeigh
( Owen); Deirdre Renehan (Steven) and Eileen Pash (Joseph) and his only brother, Denis
(Nancy). In addition, he is survived by his brother and sister in laws; Thomas J. Calabrese Jr.
(Trudy); Mary Connors ( William) and was preceded in death by his brother in law, Donald
Calabrese (Janet). He was an uncle to 17 nieces and nephews and 22 grand nieces and
nephews.
John was a loyal and humorous man who loved his family and friends deeply. All who knew
him recognized his wit, sarcasm and deep commitment to his family, as evidenced by his
coaching involvement with every RVC and CYO sporting organization. He will be sorely missed.
Contributions in John Duggan's Memory can be made to Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories
(www.give.cshl.edu) for Pancreatic Cancer Research and/or the John Duggan Scholarship Fund at
Freeport High School which is being established.
Visitation will be held at Macken Mortuary, Rockville Centre, NY, Tues., 06/04/2024 from 2pm-7pm
Mass will be held at St. Agnes Cathedral, Rockville Centre, NY, Wed., 06/05/2024 @ 10:45am