Obituary of Mike Duffy

Father. Husband. Brother. Businessman. Cooker of one heck of a stir fry. Passionate maintainer of his property. Avid trail walker. Lover of his dogs, his man cave, his giant cabinet of candy, and Amazon Prime. Michael John Duffy of Pictou, N.S. passed away peacefully at 70 years of age on August 1, 2021. He was surrounded by his family when he left suddenly and made the journey to be reunited with the parents he lost as a young boy and his brother, Richard. Mike’s life is celebrated by his wife of 46 years, Angela; daughter, Joscelyn; son, Ryan; sister, Cathie; brother, Brian (and his wife Claire); mother-in-law, Genevieve; sisters-in-law, Lucine (and her spouse Al) and Joan; brothers-in-law, Malcolm (and his partner Arlene) and Derek (and his wife Rose); and his fourteen nieces and nephews. Most knew Mike from his business accomplishments and impact over his 48-year career in the consumer goods industry. He worked throughout Central and Eastern Canada in Marketing roles with Coca Cola, Ben’s Limited and most recently, as the General Manager of North Nova Seafood. There was no denying that he was someone to work hard and push the limits of what others believed could be made possible for themselves and the organization. His work ethic was second-to-none and his contributions impacted his colleagues on a personal level and took the bottom lines of business to new heights. Mike lived a very healthy life as a runner and long-distance walker, staying well until just six months into his retirement when acute leukemia hit. During his 70 years, he always firmly believed in the importance of making the most of every day. Active right up to his last week, he was never one to sit down…until exactly 6:30pm, when he planted himself in his Lazy Boy down in his man cave. He lived by his routines, from eating supper at 6:00pm on the dot, to taking the dogs out at 9:40pm (after watching the evening news highlights). His predictable habits meant that he accomplished so much each and every day, but he also always had a way of surprising others with his thoughtfulness and generosity. If you needed him, he was there. Those who knew him well knew that Mike could be a stubborn man (which kept him going through his battle with leukemia over the past 15 months). He was most often determined to do things his way (some of you are laughing right now), though he was also a very smart and resourceful man. He loved his numbers, from tracking the weather to plotting out his vegetable gardens and following his medical reports. If there was news to be heard on a global or local scale, he was the first to share it. It was amazing that his thumbs lasted the “text” of time, as he was always on his phone chatting with others. Most recently, Mike poured his heart into the global community he had amassed sharing about his dogs, Annie and Selleck on Instagram. He dedicated his retirement days to communicating with fellow dog owners and dog lovers, while maintaining an immaculate property, preparing wonderful food and snatching up flyer deals at the grocery stores. His supportiveness and passion will be dearly missed.