Steven Duffy

portrait
Contents

Personal and Family Information

Steven was born on 1 JAN 1951 in Chicago, IL, the son of unknown parents.

He died on 26 JAN 2010 in Dominican Republic.

His wife was Merry Beth Gibbons, who he married in APR 1980 in Chicago, Illinois. Their two known children were Patrick Michael (1982-?) and Carrie Ann (1986-?).

Events

EventDateDetailsSourceMultimediaNotes
Birth1 JAN 1951
Place: Chicago, IL
Death26 JAN 2010
Place: Dominican Republic

Multimedia

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Notes

Note 1

Steve Michael Duffy died suddenly in his home in the Dominican Republic on Tuesday, January 26, 2010 at the age of 57. Steve was the beloved husband of Merry Beth (nee Gibbons) and devoted father of Meghan, Patrick and Carrie. Steve was born in Chicago to Bette and the late Tom Duffy of Mt. Prospect, IL. Steve was the loving brother to Tom (Kathleen) of Chicago and Don (Julie) of Naperville. He was a loving uncle to many nieces and nephews. He is also survived by brother-in-law, Mitch (Shannon) Gibbons; sister-in-law, Cathy (Bill) Reedy and mother-in-law, Rosalee Gibbons. Steve was a leading footwear executive with a career spanning more than 30 years. He started his career at Florsheim in Chicago. In the 1980's, Steve moved his family to the Grand Rapids area to continue to pursue his passion for footwear at Wolverine World Wide, where he retired as Executive Vice President, as well as President of Global Operations Group. Under his leadership of operations, Wolverine grew from a small West Michigan footwear manufacturer to a highly efficient global sourcing operation. Steve served as a board member of many industry organizations including the American Apparel and Footwear Association where he worked diligently to ensure the health of the shoe business. Steve was a life long Cubs fan and was a season ticket holder since the early 1980's. Steve was always interested in athletics with playing football his passion. As young man he honed his skills as a member of the Chicago Boys Club winning the pass, punt, and kick contest for the north side of Chicago. This experience paid off in during his high school years where he played as a guard, linebacker and kicker on the Lane Tech football team winning the Chicago Public League Championship in 1970. Steve and Merry Beth were blessed and got to travel the world and visited many wonderful places forging strong friendships everywhere they went. He also gave back generously to the community and devoting his time and resources in support of organizations such as the Boys and Girls Club of Grand Rapids and the Hispanic Center of Western Michigan. He also gave generously to Hogar Caridad Misionera Orphanage in the Dominican Republic. Steve will be missed and remembered fondly by his family and friends in Chicago, Grand Rapids, Little White Fish Lake, Michigan, and the Dominican Republic areas. Funeral services will be held Friday, February 5, 2010 at 12 p.m. at Thousand Oaks Golf Club, 4100 Thousand Oaks Drive, with a reception to celebrate Steve's life following. The family will receive friends Thursday from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Metcalf & Jonkhoff Chapel. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Grand Rapids Boys & Girls Club, Hispanic Center of Western Michigan or Hogar Caridad Misionera Orphanage as Steve was an avid supporter of these organizations. For Steve's Chicago friends, his brothers will host a celebration of his life in the Chicago area at a later date. The family is being served by: Metcalf & Jonkhoff Funeral Service