Patricia Louise Duffey

Pat was born in El Paso Texas, the third child of Jack and Louise Duffey. As part of a military family, she spent her youth moving from Ankara, Turkey to San Antonio, Texas to Rome, New York to Arlington, Virginia. 

A proud Annandale Atom, she excelled in both academics and sports while turning the heads of all her classmates with her wit and charm. She departed for Mary Washington University, then transferred to the University of Virginia the year after women were admitted to the school. After graduating with a degree in psychology, she found her calling as a nurse, graduating from George Mason University.

She was passionate about the improvement of treatments for serious ailments and spent her entire

33-year (1983-2016) career in government service helping to improve the lives of patients. She was initially a research nurse in the National Cancer Institute and in that capacity made sure that patient care was optimized. Many patients’ lives were saved by her actions. She published dozens of papers reporting treatment advances. She later became the Director of Clinical Services at the National Institute on Aging establishing a clinical research unit to study and make advances in the care of older people.

Pat was an enthusiastic sports fan who loved the Baltimore Orioles, but brought her same unrivaled support and passion to events large and small—from NCAA Women’s Lacrosse and Basketball to countless tee ball and youth soccer games.

A woman of unparalleled generosity, she spent her life in the service of others. She used her expertise, connections and resources to help everyone who came to her looking for advice, encouragement, and a source of hope. Her greatest joy was helping those around her in every way she could.

She was beloved by her family and everyone she encountered. She is survived by her two older brothers, Jack (Roberta) and Bob (Linda), and her sister Margaret (Bill). She will be deeply missed by her nieces and nephews Tom, Paige (Jon), Todd, Shannon (Phil), Ian (Kimberly), Bryn (Joey), Patrick (Katrin), Christopher, Natalie (Austin) and Marnie.

In lieu of flowers, please consider designating a gift through the University of Maryland Medical System Foundation to the Patricia L. Duffey Endowment for Oncology Nurses.

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