Barbara Ellen Duffy of Berlin died peacefully May 19, 2009 from a respiratory illness. She was born June 10, 1913 in Ossining, N.Y., the daughter of Willet and Blanche Acker. She attended William and Mary College, Va. where she was a member of the Tri-Delta sorority. She transferred and graduated from Columbia University School of Nursing, N.Y., N.Y. and began her career at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. She supervised the Pediatric Intensive Care unit where she met Dr. Edward P. Duffy, Jr., a pediatric resident. They married in 1940.

She is survived by her husband Edward, 99, of Berlin and their three children, Susanne of Providence, R.I., Brian of San Diego, Calif. and Barbara of Hilton Head, S.C.

She returned to nursing at her husband’s New Jersey medical practice after raising her children. Her ancestry in Portland dates back to the town’s inception. Family summers were spent in Portland and later East Hampton. They retired in New Jersey, returning to her beloved Connecticut, closer to her children and ancestral roots. She bridge her love of old New England heritage by practicing the home crafts of embroidery, crochet, cooking, preserving and antique decorating into her modern woman lifestyle. We will always remember her kindness and affability towards all.

A memorial celebration will be held held May 23, 2009 at 11:30 a.m. at St. Paul Church, Kensington.