Duffield, Thomas A. Fortified with the Sacraments of the Holy Mother Church, Thomas passed away peacefully on March 14, 2016, with his family by his side. He leaves behind his loving wife Grace Ann (nee Schaefer); his children: Lynn of Des Peres, MO, Thomas Jr. of Los Angeles, CA, Patrick (Suzannah Reid) of Aspen, CO, Daniel (Hong Juan) of Albuquerque, NM and Margaret (Walter Kempf) of Sunset Hills, MO; 7 grandchildren; 4 great grandchildren; a brother- Richard Duffield as well as many other relatives and friends. His daughter Joan of St. Peters, MO preceded him in death. Born March 18, 1925 in Muskegon, MI, Tom was one of 7 sons of Charles J. and Mary Margaret. After graduating from St. Mary's of Redford, Tom enlisted in the Navy and was involved in the invasions of both Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Upon return, Tom attended the University of Notre Dame and the University of Detroit, receiving his A.B. Law Degree in 1947 and his Juris Doctor degree in 1954. In 1949, he married Grace and began a family in the Grosse Pointe area. Tom held many executive positions in risk management throughout the years at Sentry Ins., Darin and Armstong, Ford Motor Comp., Northrop Corp., Foremost-McKesson Inc., Archer Daniels Midland Corp. as well as serving on the Board at Lancers Insurance and RIMS Risk Management Society. Tom and Grace were very active (Tom particularly in the choir) as members of St. Paul on the Lake Catholic Church in Grosse Pointe and Our Lady of Lourdes in Decatur (where he also sat on the Parish Council). In Decatur, IL he also was active civically with Decatur Memorial Hospital, the Decatur Daycare Center, the Salvation Army, the St. Vincent DePaul Society and The Decatur Club. Tom's family wishes to thank the staff of McKnight Place for the care and kindness they gave to him. Tom's family will always be thankful for his efforts to make a better life for them and to be a good role model. Rest in Peace, Dad, we'll miss you. Services: A Memorial Mass will be held on June 4, 2016 at 11am at the Catholic Student Center at Washington University in St. Louis. In lieu of flowers please donate to the Decatur Daycare Center, 2075 E. Lake Shore Dr. #1, Decatur IL 62521 or the Salvation Army-Decatur Chapter at centralusa.salvationarmy.org/decatu r. Full obit online at www.stlouiscremation.com

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Mar. 20, 2016.

Memories and Condolences
for Thomas Duffield

5 Entries

Fr. Larry Brunette

March 29, 2016

Funny how things work. On Easter Sunday, while talking to my son, who lives in England, he tells me about seeing Tom Duffield's name in the credits of a movie he watched, and in Googling to see if it was the Tom he thought it was, he discovered that Tom Sr. had passed away. When he told me, I was greatly saddened. Tom and Grace, and their wonderful family, are truly among the best people I have had the fortune to encounter in my life. I am very blessed to have known them. May Tom enjoy the wonderful award God has prepared for him in heaven. What an outstanding MAN!
-Fr. Larry Brunette,
Itasca, IL

laura Haberlin

March 24, 2016

God Bless all who loved him

March 22, 2016

My heartfelt sympathies go out to the family and friends during this difficult time. I hope that the promise found in 1 Thessalonians 4:14 can bring you some comfort. Knowing that there is a future for those ones we have lost in death can be so reassuring.

Bill Braun

March 21, 2016

To Grace Duffield and family,

Grace, Our sincerely sympathies upon Tom's "passing." May the Good Lord give you the mental and physical strength to overcome one so close to you over the past sixty-seven years.

All of us in the "coffee-group" enjoyed Tom's fellowship and record keeping.

Betty and Bill Braun

Michael Murphy

March 20, 2016

A wonderful and loving family! Many prayers for all of you during this difficult time.

Much Love,

Murph

Showing 1 - 5 of 5 results