Peter J. Durfee

Peter James Durfee, 69, of Marshfield, MA passed away at home on June 5, 2020. He was the beloved husband of Sheila (Whalen) Durfee for nearly 43 years. The son of the late Senator Raymond and Elizabeth (Geissler) Durfee, Peter was raised in Cranston, Rhode Island. He graduated from Cranston High School West in 1969 and went on to earn a Bachelors Degree in Economics from Brown University in 1973 and a Masters Degree in Accounting from Northeastern University in 1977. As a young boy, Peter worked beside his grandparents, father and brothers at Durfee Hardware Store in Cranston, RI and, at the time of his passing, he was a co-owner and behind-the-scenes financial consultant. He began his professional career at Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co. in Boston, MA, he was a partner in Durfee & Root, CPAs and he retired as Director of Finance for The Beacon Mutual Insurance Company in Warwick, RI. Besides his wife, he leaves his son, Thomas and his wife, Kathleen (Kirby) Durfee of Hanover, MA and their daughters, Emily 4 and Katherine 1 . He is also survived by his brothers, Paul and his wife Jeanne Durfee and David and his wife Patricia Durfee, all of North Scituate, RI, brother-in-law, Frank Whalen of Arlington, MA, sister-in-law, Susan Whalen of Lunenburg, MA, six nieces, four nephews, one grand-niece and many cousins and good friends. Peter was a great lover of sports his whole life. He enjoyed following Toms school sporting events and attending Boston Celtics games with him. He completed ten marathons, including the Boston Marathon which he ran three times and he conquered the Mount Washington Road Race three times as well. Although he was never happy with his golf game, he loved playing and did once manage to score a hole in one at the Pawtucket Country Club. The determination with which he set and achieved physical challenges was evident again during his brave, 7-year battle against prostate cancer. He had been a resident of North Scituate, RI for 36 years where he served as Treasurer of Trinity Episcopal Church, as coach of a boys travelling basketball team and as a volunteer for the Scituate Art Festival and a number of road races. He was a member of the 2014 class of Leadership Rhode Island. Upon retirement, Peter and Sheila moved to the South Shore of Boston to be closer to Tom and Kathleen and to be able to make memories with their granddaughters. Although he only got to experience life at Rexhame Beach for a year and a half, he cherished every minute that he did get to spend with Emily and Katie who would literally jump up and down with excitement whenever he arrived to see them. He was a wonderful husband, father, grandfather and friend. The girls will miss him terribly as will we all. We are forever grateful to Hospice of the South Shore, South Shore VNA and South Shore Hospital for the compassion and concern provided by their caregivers, to Dr. Anthony Mega and his group at Miriam Hospital in Providence, to Dr. John Stevenson and to the treatment center team at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in South Weymouth. In light of the Covid-19 pandemic and the current restrictions on social gatherings, the funeral service will be private. A memorial service will be held at a later time when friends and family can gather together without masks and free to share hugs, memories, funny stories, food and drink. In the meantime, if you feel that you would like to do something to honor Peters memory, please do so by taking the time to do something special with your loved ones. That time is precious. For online guest book and other helpful information, please visit the website macdonaldfuneralhome.com