Joyce Anne Duffy

NEWBURY, Mass. – Joyce Anne Duffy, 76, of Newbury, Mass., passed away on Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023. Joyce was born and raised in Portland, daughter of Martin T. and Josephine (Litchfield) Duffy. She completed grades K through 12 and an A.S. in dental hygiene, all without leaving Stevens Avenue in Portland – the city with which she and her family deeply identified and shared a vital connection. She briefly practiced dental hygiene in Massachusetts and New York before returning to Maine and working in the dental division of the City of Portland’s Public Health Department, providing dental care to high-risk populations. She then joined the Center for Community Dental Health as project coordinator for community and research programs for the majority of her career.

After retirement, Joyce earnestly pursued her life-long passion of gardening, and she achieved a Master Gardener designation from the University of Maine Cooperative Extension. She began her ‘second career’ caring for both private gardens and municipal gardens (including for the City of Newburyport, Mass.) to be enjoyed widely by others. She loved to contribute, and each spring, without realizing it, many of us enjoyed the quiet and beautiful benefits of her efforts. Joyce was like that.

Joyce’s greatest fulfillment was watching her daughter, whom she raised by herself, grow to become a successful landscape architect and mother to two wonderful children. She moved to Newbury, Mass., after the birth of her second grandchild where she gently and unwaveringly cultivated the growth of her two grandchildren with the boundless love and support that she used to raise her own daughter. She was often found at the beach, the tidepools or ponds, or around town engaging in adventures with them, and supporting them in whatever creative, academic or athletic endeavors they were pursuing. Joyce quickly integrated into the communities where she lived and became a surrogate mom or grandmother figure to countless of her daughter’s friends and their children. She was a beloved ‘Grambie’ to many.

Joyce is survived by her daughter, Kimberly Duffy Turner and her husband Ken Itrato, her two grandchildren, Lucas and Eloise, her brothers Martin Duffy and his wife Donna, Brian Duffy and his wife Penny, and her niece and nephew Kyle Duffy and Hannah Duffy, as well as countless friends who became family. We are so grateful for our time with her and wish her peace as we carry on her legacy of love and generosity.

For those who wish to celebrate Joyce’s life, please make a contribution to Dana Farber, who provided extraordinary comfort and care to her over the last 13 months. Gifts may be made to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in memory of Joyce Duffy to support cancer research and patient care at:

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

P.O. Box 849168

Boston, MA 02284

or via dana-farber.org/gift.