Ron Duff, the mind behind the renowned Duffs Chicken Wings, passed yesterday. When he spoke about his death, he always did it with the business in mind since he was a man who was passionate about it before he passed away.
After his father passed away, his son Joe penned an open letter to him highlighting how devoted, loving and committed he was to both his family and his business.
He told me numerous times throughout my life that when he died, he didn’t want anything done for him – no memorial, service, obituary, nothing.
He’d even half-heartedly joked with me several times that he didn’t want anyone to know he’d been died when he died. He just wanted everyone/everything – especially the restaurant (Duff’s), to go on like usual.
If you knew him, you know his dying wishes were “classic Ron”. He was a man who dedicated his entire life to his restaurant Duff’s Famous Wings, yet, even though his wings became famous, he never wanted to be.
His dedication to Duff’s was unmatched. He worked at the restaurant every day from seven years old – labour laws were different in 1946 when his mother, Lousie Duffney, opened the place – to the week before he passed away.
He even lived at Duff’s for several years when times got tough.
He was/is my gold standard for work ethic. There were no days off for my dad.
When you’re in the restaurant business – and open seven days a week as Duff’s is – holidays are a prime time to do work/maintenance on your place. And they certainly were for him.
A few Thanksgivings back, he was supposed to come to my house to eat dinner, and as it got to be dinner time, he still wasn’t there.
I called him and called him, and called him. No answer. So, I drove to the restaurant because I thought he had to be there, and sure enough, he was. He was sweeping the parking lot, preparing it for the next day, one of our busiest days of the year – another “classic Ron” moment.
Everyone is mourning the loss of Ron, remembering him and his legacy, and offering sympathies in his direction. The family is expected to make a statement shortly regarding the funeral rites.
Amelia Warner
Amelia Warner writes all the Latest Articles. She mostly covers Entertainment topics, but at times loves to write about movie reviews as well.
