Brigitte Duffy's Obituary
We lost our dear Brigitte on Saturday, April 4, 2026. She was an authentic homegrown Irish woman, who came to America to pursue and ultimately fulfill the American promise. Brigitte was a mother, grandmother, devoted wife, enduring friend and life of the party. Whether you knew her as Mom, Grandma, Brigitte or Brie one thing was steady and assured – she had a huge heart, a glorious smile, and an infectious laugh!
She was born in Kilkenny City, Ireland on November 29th1937 to Mary (Minnie) and Patrick Bourke in a post-depression, pre-war and poor Ireland. She was one of eight children brought up in a family raised primarily by a single mother. Her childhood was filled with Catholic grammar school, roaming around Kilkenny and participating in light-hearted shenanigans. As a teen she helped support the family and was employed by The Boot Factory side-by-side with her lifelong friend Ann Lawlor (nee O’Keeffe). In her spare-time she became a young thespian sensation with the Don Bosco Players -- with lead and accompanying roles in 18 plays before leaving Kilkenny at age 21 for the shores of New York City. This served as superb training for the lead and supporting roles she would play for the rest of her life in America.
She arrived in NYC in 1958 for the adventure of a lifetime. She and her younger sister Barbara would become as close as sisters could be and planted their roots in 1960’s NYC embodying the chic fashion and lifestyle of the times. She worked for MGM Studios for many years and told many tales of the movie moguls and actors of that era.
On St. Patrick’s Day 1961 she met Bill Duffy, a newly minted NYC Fireman and ex-Navy man from the Bronx. They married in 1963, settled in the Bronx and were thrilled to welcome their three children William (1964), Kim (1966), and Keith (1975). Brigitte and Bill primarily raised their kids in Sloatsburg, NY, a bucolic suburb north of NYC, and showered them with the immaculate combination of perfect and imperfect parenting.
She and Bill were life-long dedicated partners in crime and for those of you with parts written for you in the story you can recount those episodes and remember them fondly. She was a fixture at FDNY events and the Queen of the FDNY Pipes and Drums alongside her husband who would lead that band for many years.
She doted on Bill, her kids and grandkids and chased them all over the country and world, always bringing her glorious smile and laughter. There wasn’t a soul that couldn’t be endeared to her within minutes of sitting down with her and enjoying a drink and conversation. A simple, but bold Transatlantic journey transformed so, so many lives. We have the stories, tears and many, many laughs in our memories.
She is survived by William and Jeanne Duffy, Kim Lawlor, Keith and Stephanie Duffy and her grandkids William, Kian, Declan, Burke, Luke, Anna, Claire and her sister, Theresa Dunne, who resides in London.
A huge thanks and debt to all the family, friends and participants in Brigitte’s great story from Kilkenny, Leland Ave., Ladder 17/Engine 60, Sloatsburg, Pine Grove, Ladder 40/Engine 37, the FDNY Pipes and Drums, Atlantic City, Gloucester, Paris, London, Geneva, Boston and Legacy Village in Salt Lake City.
We all know that the Pearly Gates just got a lot more ‘pearly’ when Brigitte arrived to be with her soulmate Bill and so many family and friends that have already started Happy Hour, including her son-in-law Declan.
Slainte to a blessed life that was lived to the fullest. We love you 100,000 kisses and as high as the numbers go.
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