Nell L. Duffy

Nell L. Duffy, 92 Nell L. Duffy, 92, died on Monday, April 2, at Rockford Memorial Hospital after a brief illness. Born in Granville, Illinois on October 28, 1914, the daughter of Magdalen (nee Jankauskas) and Joseph Bagdon, Nell moved to Rockford with her family in the 1920s and attended St. Marys School. She graduated from Bishop Muldoon High School, a member of that schools first graduating class. Nell and her sister Margaret (d. 1999) worked for J. I. Case Company in the 1930s. Nell left her position at the beginning of World War II for a job as secretary to the Chief Engineer at Camp Grant. At a dance at the camp she met her husband Walter (d. 2000) whom she married in Saints Peter and Paul Church on January 29, 1944. After the war they settled in Rockford where they raised their two children, Susan and Stephen. She held various part-time jobs during their childhood and then returned to work full time in the office of J. C. Penney Company from where she retired in 1980. Nell was an active parishioner at St. Patricks, St. Ritas, and St. James Churches, a proud grandmother, a good neighbor, and a fun-loving companion, keenly interested in the doings of "the kids" and their friends. She was always quick with words. Once she won $1000 in a drawing sponsored by a farm supply company. When a representative of the company phoned to ask permission to use her name in their next catalog, she jokingly responded, "I dont care if you put my picture on a feed sack so long as you send me the check." Her last year was a joyful one. Meghan, her first great-grandchild, was born and she doted on "the most beautiful, sweet tempered baby ever." She lived comfortably and happily in her cozy apartment at Independence Village, enjoying her new friends and new community. Her final days were eased by the skillful, compassionate care of the nursing staff on floor B4 of Rockford Memorial Hospital, for which the family is truly grateful. Survivors include son Stephen (Delores), daughter Susan Schaffrath (Jim Lindholm), granddaughter Stacey Wilde (Geoff), grandsons Evan Schaffrath, Michael Duffy (Brittany), and Devin Martin, and great-granddaughter Meghan Wilde. Funeral services will be held at Fitzgerald Funeral Home & Crematory, Mulford Chapel, 1860 S. Mulford Rd., on Thursday, April 5. Visitation will be held from 10:00 to 11:00, followed by a prayer service at the funeral home and entombment at Calvary Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Elizabeths Social Center, 1505 S. Main St., Rockford, IL 61104. Both of Nells children attended kindergarten at St. Elizabeths, and it continued to hold a special place in her heart. To