Obituaries

Jim, a longtime resident of Fremont, passed away from complications from Alzheimer's disease on September 25, 2018. Born in Sacramento California to Owen Duffy and Margret Toth, he and his three brothers (Joe, Charlie, and Owen) were orphaned when Jim, who was the oldest, was 10 years old. The four boys went to live on the McGowan Dairy Farm and were raised by their foster parents, "Pops" and Anna McGowan. Upon graduation from Wheatland High School, Jim traveled south to San Luis Obispo to attend Cal Poly College where he majored in Dairy Manufacturing. Upon graduation he went to work in the dairy industry in the San Francisco Bay Area with Safeway, Speckles, Golden Rich, and Lucky Stores. Jim met Marlene Peeks at a dance in Oakland and they were married in November 1958. They have two sons, Richard and Patrick. The family settled in the Glenmore section of Fremont in 1963 where Jim lived until the last two weeks of his life. While raising their boys, the family traveled all over the West Coast from Victoria, Canada to Ensenada, Mexico. Jim enjoyed building furniture, home improvement projects, automotive repairs, and tinkering. After the boys were out on their own, Jim and Marlene traveled all over the United States with their travel trailer. Jim also enjoyed fishing at various lakes throughout California. His favorite lake to fish was June Lake in the Eastern Sierras where spent four weeks every summer and where he made many friends.

Jim is survived by his wife Marlene, sons Rich (Brenda) of Pleasanton and Pat (Lisa) of Livermore as well as grandchildren Arlinda Duffy, James (Aubrey) Duffy, Holly Duffy, and Bill Duffy and great-granddaughter Charlotte.