Obituary: Carolyn Blough Duffy, 1943-2024

Carolyn Blough Duffy, loving wife, mother,
grandmother and teacher, died peacefully with family nearby on
Wednesday, January 3, 2024, at her home in Hinesburg, Vt., after a
hard-fought battle with cancer.

Born
in 1943, Carolyn grew up on a family farm in Somerset County, Pa.,
with a few years in Texas when her father returned from World War II.
In her youth, she played the piano at her family’s church and was
valedictorian of her high school class.

At
Penn State University, she was the only major in Latin American area
studies. There, in the fall of 1962, she met her future husband,
Leonard. It was love at first sight. After graduating, she worked in
Washington, D.C., until their marriage in 1966, whereupon they set
off for Guadalajara, Mexico, and then Florence, Italy, the following
spring. She taught high school Spanish for a year in Pennsylvania
before the couple moved back to Washington, where she started her own
language school for embassy personnel while finishing her master’s
in applied linguistics at American University.

After
the birth of their son, Brennan, they moved to Hinesburg, Vt., where
their daughter, Cara, was born.

Briefly,
Carolyn took up weaving and poetry until she was recruited to teach
in the English as a Second Language program at Saint Michael’s
College. She was director of the English Language program and taught
and mentored students in the MATESL program until retiring in 2015.
She was proud to have received an award for excellence in teaching in
1994.

In
1991, a former student asked her to help start a bilingual school in
Bogota. Gimnasio Vermont is now considered one of the highest-ranked
pre-K to 12 schools in Colombia. At about the same time, she also
started a teacher-training program at the Hellenic American Union in
Athens and Thessaloniki, Greece, where she also taught for a portion
of the year for many years while she completed her PhD at Georgetown
University. One of her proudest accomplishments was a frequently
cited paper she wrote for the U.S. Peace Institute. She also
coauthored a TOEFL textbook for English language learners that became
a worldwide resource. She will be fondly remembered by hundreds of
former students throughout the world.

Carolyn
loved her home and farm, her gardens, skiing, her horses, and many
dogs and cats, but most of all “Gummy” loved to spend time with
her four grandchildren, with each of whom she had a special,
memorable relationship. She became a passionate golfer later in life
and loved spending time on Lake Champlain and cooking delicious meals
and entertaining.

She
is survived by her husband of 57 years, Leonard; her son, Brennan
(Brooke), of Rutland, Vt., and daughter, Cara (David Carreon), of
Catonsville, Md.; her grandchildren, Teegan and Ronan Duffy and Jacob
and Emma Carreon; her sisters, Marilyn Blough of Huntington, Vt., and
Kay Blough (Ben Weller) of Huntington, N.Y.; her brother, Robert
Blough (Mary), of Boswell, Pa., her sister-in-law, Meg Guilfoy (Ed)
of Huntington, Vt.; and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. She
was predeceased by her parents, Robert and Amy (Shaffer) Blough, of
Boswell, Pa.

The
family is especially thankful for the excellent care provided by her
oncologist and friend, Dr. Elise Everett, and the caring nurses and
staff of the University of Vermont Medical Center; the UVM Home
Health & Hospice program; the caring helpers of Home Instead; and
for the diligence of Dr. Michael Kosta in Boulder, Colo., who gave
her additional years. We are also thankful for the love and support
of her devoted friends and family.

Visiting
hours will be held at the United Church of Hinesburg parish house,
10570 Rte. 116, Hinesburg, VT, on Friday, January 12, 3 to 6 p.m. A
memorial celebration will be held on Sunday, January 14, 2 p.m., at
the United Church of Hinesburg, with a reception to follow in the
church’s parish house. A private interment will be held in the
spring. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to UVM Home Health & Hospice, the UVM Cancer Center, or a charity of your choice.
Arrangements are in care of Gifford Funeral Home & Cremation
Service in Richmond. To send online condolences to her family, please
visit vtfuneralhomes.com.

This article appears in Dec 27, 2023 – Jan 9, 2024.