Arthur Duff

1932 - 2020

Arthur Woodbridge Duff

July 18, 1932 - April 18, 2020

Arthur was born in Kuling, China in 1932 to Jeanie Woodrow Woodbridge and James Arthur Duff. His mother was a devout Baptist, the daughter of missionaries. His father, a businessman, was later a spy in the fledgling Office of Strategic Services.

Passionate and curious, a love for learning took Arthur to the Punahou School, the University of Otago, and McGill University Medical School. He completed his residency at Massachusetts General Hospital and served on the faculty of Harvard Medical School. He joined the staff of Saint Francis Memorial Hospital in San Francisco in 1968 where he practiced pathology until his retirement in 2009.

An avid sportsman, Arthur won New Zealand's South Island skiing championship and pursued high altitude mountaineering in the Alps and among the Remarkables. He enjoyed hiking in the cool forests of the Marin Headlands and the dry hills above Calistoga. As a young father, you could find him leading his children across newly cut corn fields in search of pheasant or donning outdated ski gear to face a Sierra snowstorm.

Among his many talents and interests, Arthur earned a black belt in judo from the Kodokan in Japan and flew single engine airplanes to faraway places. He played trumpet with a variety of ensembles throughout his life – but the best shows were always at home, with family and friends, and an impossibly loud big band playing on the stereo.

Quietly religious, Arthur often reminded his children that if you knew the stars, there was no need to fear the night. He died peacefully on April 18, attended by his son.

Arthur is survived by his children Schan and Laura, grandsons William and Evan, and brothers David and Theodore.