Paul M. Duffley

1934 - 2021

Paul M. Duffley
Paul M. Duffley left us on February 24, 2021 surrounded by his family in the home he loved in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. He spent eighty-six wonderful years raising a family, making life-long friendships and touching countless lives. No matter where you went with Paul, you were inevitably stopped by people he knew. He loved people and everyone was a friend he hadn't yet made. He was lovingly cared for by his daughter Catherine and wife Maggie after Alzheimer's took him from us over several years.
Paul was born on May 29, 1934 in Cambridge, MA and is survived by his loving wife Maggie, his six children Gail (and husband Cullen), Catherine, Carolyn (and husband Jay), Paul (and wife Karen), Susan (and husband Joe), Peter (and wife Kim), and eight grandchildren that Paul always had words of wisdom for – Andrew, Alison, Alex, Jack, Kate, John, Emily Paige and Olivia.
After Boston College High School, Paul served in the US Navy. After leaving the Navy, Paul met the love of his life, Maggie, with whom he recently celebrated 62 years of marriage. From his humble beginnings with the Necco Candy factory in Cambridge, Paul took his talents and infectious personality to General Foods and Pepsi Cola and to the Board of Tom's of Maine. Throughout his 27-year career with Pepsi, Paul distinguished himself not only as an invaluable leader, but also as Pepsi's ambassador at large. He served on numerous boards and received national awards in recognition of his collaborative work with retailers, suppliers and other Pepsi partners. Paul's time with Pepsi took him all over the country and the world, stopping along the way to give Pope John Paul II, Mikhail Gorbachev, Magic Johnson and other heads of state and famous personalities the chance to have their pictures taken with him. Simply put, Paul was "Mr. Pepsi."
If you asked Paul about his professional accomplishments he'd oblige with stories of successes and failures and all of life's lessons he learned along the way, but Paul would rather talk to you about the less fortunate people he encountered in his life. Among Paul's many charitable endeavors was his involvement with the Green Chimneys organization, a nonprofit charity that provides educational, emotional and other services to at-risk children. The Green Chimneys organization in many ways embodies Paul's commitment to helping people find a better path in life.
After his retirement, Paul and Maggie began a new chapter in their lives with a move to Palm Beach Gardens where he loved gardening and spending time with his children and grandchildren. Paul effortlessly transitioned his passion for connecting with people to volunteer work. He served as a Eucharistic Minister at St. Patrick's Catholic Church serving communion to hospital patients and others too infirm to attend mass, was active in the peace and justice mission and was a volunteer for many years at Jupiter Medical Center.
Those fortunate enough to have known Paul will say that he never did anything half-heartedly. He gave his time freely and selflessly. His ability to connect with people, build life-long friendships and help the less fortunate are the true hallmarks of his life. For those reasons, among many others, he left the world a far better place.
Donations kindly accepted in Paul's name to the Irene Duffley Memorial Scholarship fund at Boston College High School (https://www.bchigh.edu/give); awarded each year to a student in financial need. Paul was a loyal alumnus of the Class of 1952 and credited the school with his life success and his commitment to helping others less fortunate. There will be a funeral mass at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Palm Beach Gardens on Friday, March 5 at 10 a.m.ET. The service will also be live streamed at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR4hc_SOijcxIrwoLaDmH4w/featured.