Dick Duffield

Richard Louis Duffield, age 91, of Plano, Texas formerly of Columbus, North Carolina passed away peacefully on November 28, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. He was born September 30, 1927 at Me3rcy Hospital in Muskegon, Michigan to Charles Jeremiah “Duff” Duffield and Mary Margaret “Maizie” (Sullivan) Duffield. “Dick”, as he came to be known most of his life, was the sixth of seven brothers born to Duff and Maizie. His parents and his six brothers Chuck, Buddy, Baart, Bob, Tom and Harry (“Owen”) have all preceded him in death.

In 1935, Duff and Maizie moved the family to Detroit, Michigan. Upon graduation from De La Salle High School in 1945, Dick enrolled at the University of Detroit where he studied engineering until tuberculosis captured his lungs. In January of 1949, Dick was admitted to the Maybury Sanatorium where he battled for over two years to fend off the debilitating infection. During his confinement Dick did manage to complete his studies and earn his degree. For over two years he waited and dreamed of all the places he might go when he regained his strength. Finally, the day had come, and he was now free to move about the country. Upon the advice of a family friend, Dick decided to pursue opportunities in the booming beach towns of 1951 South Florida. His training as an engineer fed his meticulous to getting it done the right way. With that trait and his clever sense of humor Dick launched what would become a long and distinguished career in the swimming pool construction and equipment industry.

In August of 1954 Dick married Rosemarie Wilson of Ft Myers, Florida. They settled in Miami where their only child Richard L. (Rick) Duffield, Jr. was born in 1955. New opportunities in the 1960’s convinced Dick and Rosie to move their young family to Florence, South Carolina, where Dick continued to design, engineer and build across the region. He had what seemed an unlimited appetite for travel, even earning his single-engine pilot’s license. With that in hand Dick possessed another way to move about the country. In the 1970’s he went on to found the company that still bears his name today. Duffield Aquatics, Inc. has grown to become an industry leader.

With business success, Dick and Rosie found more time to travel for pleasure, and he couldn’t get enough. Whether with Rosie or her brother Edgar, Dick found some new adventure to try every year. He traveled the world and collected friends, memories and mementos wherever he stayed. Dick was an avid collector, whether it be stamps, coins or Olympic pins. Among all their travels, Dick and Rosie especially loved to explore the nooks and crannies of the Appalachian Mountains. They found a picturesque spot on the southern slope of White Oak Mountain in Columbus, North Carolina, where they built a simple house for weekend escapes. As Rosie’s health started to fail, Dick retired and they moved to White Oak full time. Dick cared for Rosie until the day of her death in 2001.

For the next 15 years, Dick continued to travel the world. On one of these excursions, he met a lovely woman, from Canada named Barbara Hunter. After that, Dick enjoyed sharing his love of travel with Barbara by his side. During this time, Dick also embarked on a mission to gather the history of the Duffield family in North America, which resulted in a thorough record of the Duffield family reaching back to the seventeenth century. In recent years, as Dick’s own health began to fail, independent living proved more difficult. He moved to Texas to be near his son and his family earlier this year.

Dick is survived by his son Rick Duffield, his daughter in law Maryellen Duffield, his grandchildren Joe Duffield and his wife Melissa Duffield, Rebecca Duffield and her husband Mark O’Hagan, Elizabeth Duffield and his great grandchildren Katelyn Duffield, Elia Duffield, Samantha Duffield, Fiona O’Hagan and Rory O’Hagan.

We will always be grateful for the trail of memories he has left for all of us to share. We will miss him and his irrepressible sense of humor. The family would like to express its deep appreciation to the staffs of The Village at Mapleshade and Dallas Home Health and Hospice.

A memorial service will be held Wednesday, December 12, 2018 at 4:00 P.M. at Allen Family Funeral Options with Father Tom Cloherty presiding.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations be made to the American Heart Association.