Earl G. Duffy of Hallandale Beach Florida passed away peacefully in Miami on June 9th, 2017. He was a retired hotelier, having run such properties as the Boston Park Plaza, the Sonesta Beach Hotel of Key Biscayne, The Washington Sonesta, The Royal Sonesta of New Orleans, The Hartford Sonesta and the Houston Sonesta hotels. Prior to that he held corporate executive positions with Sonesta Hotels, headquartered in Boston, Ma.
Among his accomplishments, he was the President of Hotel Sales Management Association, International in 1962, and was the founding President of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, which continues on to this day to be one of the premiere live music events in the United States. He was active in the National Alliance of Businessmen, creating opportunities for inner city, at risk youth and intigrated the first hotel in the city of Houston Texas. In his career, this man of modest education, through hard work and the power of his personality, was a mentor to a generation of hospitality professionals.
He was educated at Boston public schools and was a veteran of World War II serving in the US Navy in the campaigns in New Guinea and Philippines.
He is survived by his children, Gavan Duffy of Syracuse, NY (Lhm Ling), Mark of Fort Myers Florida (Carol Duffy) and Lynn Duffy-Kasow of Miami, (Andrew Kasow). as well as his grandchildren, Steve Blakemore of Brooksville, Catherine Wideman, of Arlington, Va., (Bryan Wideman), Neil Blakemore of Miami Beach, (Jina Blakemore) and Mark Charton of Little Rock, Arkansas, Heidi Charton of Little Rock and Brooke Wilkes of Katy, Texas (Matt Wilkes). Great Grandchildren include Joseph Blakemore, Hana Blakemore and Annabelle Wideman. He is predeceased by his loving wife, Bernice MacMaster Duffy and children Joan Duffy of Little Rock and Neil Duffy, (Anne Duffy) of Barnstable, Ma.
A celebration of life will take place at a later date in Barnstable, Massachusetts.

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