Elizabeth "Buffy" Duhig

Elizabeth Duhig (86), known to friends and family as “Buffy”, died peacefully at home, surrounded by loving friends on Friday, February 9, 2024, from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Her gracious acceptance of the inevitableness of this illness was remarkable. She was a resident of Needham from 1950, when her family moved from Cambridge, and was the caretaker in their later years of her parents, the late Ruth (Howlett) and Charles Duhig.  She is survived by her brother John Howlett Duhig and his wife Sybil of Simi Valley, CA and their three children Michael, William and Julia Riedel and their spouses, along with numerous nieces, nephews and cousins of various generations and removes.  Buffy was an amazing aunt, great-aunt and honorary grandmother to her friends’ children, always making sure that each person knew how much she cared about them.  She traveled every year without fail to the West Coast to visit John and his family and made her Needham home the East Coast hub of the extended Howlett-Duhig family who dearly loved her and admired all she did to keep the family traditions alive.

Buffy was ever ready for an adventure or to volunteer or lend a hand when need arose and to sing to lift a spirit or give joy to others. It was as a valued member of the First Parish Unitarian Universalist church in Needham that those qualities were most apparent.  In 2020, Buffy received the inaugural “Spirit of Life” award from her church to honor her 70th year at the congregation and, as her minister stated, “in recognition of all these years of devoted service to our faith community, … with a special citation for her years of coordinating beautiful memorial receptions for the care of and to the relief of innumerable grieving families.” She will be deeply missed.

Music was an ever-present motif in Buffy’s life.  She sang at every opportunity, with her church choir in church and in pastoral outreach and with Dedham Choral Society in concert, in summer outreach to local nursing and retirement homes, and in concert tours abroad. She spent vacation days every year at choral camp. She supported the BSO and young musicians with her enthusiastic attendance and joined friends at the Met Opera broadcasts in local theaters. Her voice will be a lasting memory.

She had a successful career holding various positions in New England construction trade associations, being very proud of women in that field and attending association meetings across the country.  She will be remembered for her boundless energy and enthusiasm in all her endeavors.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, April 27 at 11 am at First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church, 23 Dedham Avenue (route 135), Needham.  A reception will follow immediately in the parish hall.  Donations in Buffy’s memory can be made to First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church in Needham:  www.uuneedham.org (direct donation link:  https://onrealm.org/uuneedham/-/form/give/ ) or to any ALS charity.

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