It is with sad hearts that we announce the departure of our dear mother, Helen “Elly” Dorothy Duff, née Mezzanotti. Elly passed peacefully at her home in Marshfield, MA. on December 17, 2019, surrounded by her children. She was 86 years old.
Helen was born in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, on January 10, 1933 to the late Albert and Emmanuelle “Helen” Mezzanotti. The Mezzanottis were part of a large extended family of Italian-Americans and Italian immigrants. She grew up and attended school in the Glendale neighborhood of Worcester, Massachusetts.
After graduating fromWorcester’s Commerce High School in 1951, Helen attended Regis College and received her B.A. degree in 1955. Elly met her future husband, the late John B. Duff, working side-by-side at the Jersey Shore in the summer of 1951. John and Helen were married in October 1955 at the Holy Rosary Church in Worcester.
For a short time, Elly worked as a dietician at the East Orange Veterans’ Hospital and soon became pregnant with her first child that same year.
Across the next decade the family settled in Livingston, New Jersey, where Mom raised five children while teaching a Home Economics class at her children’s elementary school, and volunteering regularly as a referee for the basketball team or as Girl Scout leader for her daughter’s troop at St. Raphael’s Parish.
In 1976, the Duff family moved to Lowell, Massachusetts. Elly sang in the choir at Immaculate Conception Church and made many friends throughout the Lowell area before relocating to Duxbury, Massachusetts, where she raised her youngest and sixth child, Emily Anne. There, Elly enjoyed working the polls during election season, and working on her myriad crafts ranging from quilting, to knitting, sewing and upholstering. She enjoyed riding her bike around Duxbury and hosting her ever-growing family for beach weekends, home-made pizza parties, and family events all year long.
Helen relocated to Marshfield, Massachusetts in 2007, and was known as the most avid walker in her condo community, where she could be seen walking even in the most inclement weather until just before her death. In her later years, she enjoyed reading every major political columnist daily, and often tuned into political pundits on television or radio. She also loved listening to music, especially the Big Band jazz singers of the 20th century. She loved old movies, funny movies, and humorous literature. She had a huge sense of humor and a big, hearty laugh.
Helen would say that it was ...
