Colleen 'Coco' L. Duffy

WORCESTER - Colleen "Coco"  L. Duffy, 65, formerly of Lancaster, passed away peacefully on Wednesday evening, May 3, 2017, under the loving care of her family, close friend and the staff of Rose Monahan Hospice Home, after a four-year, valiant battle with pancreatic cancer. She was born in Clinton,  the daughter of the late June (Collins) and John Duffy. Colleen is a graduate of Nashoba Regional High School, Bolton and a 1973 graduate of Memorial Hospital School of Nursing.   Colleen worked as a registered nurse for 40 years.  She spent 8 years living in Simi Valley, CA, working for the Traveling Nurses with her dear friend  Michelene "Mikey" Carroll.  Prior to her retirement in 2014, Colleen worked for UMass Disability Evaluation Services for 16 years.  Colleen will be remembered for her kindness, compassion for others, and her terrific sense of humor. Colleen cherished frequent trips to Ogunquit Beach, Maine. The ocean brought her great joy and a sense of inner peace.  "Life is like the ocean, waves will try to knock you down and push you back to where you started, but once you fight through them, the entire ocean is yours." Colleen will be lovingly missed by her brother,  J. Andrew Duffy of Lancaster; her sister,  Diane Duffy of Lancaster; her best friend of 40 years, Michelene, who was her soul sister that Colleen loved as if they were truly related as sisters; her California friends, Jayne and Joan Kelly; and her friend, Pat Eimer of Montana. All of Colleen's family and friends formed a circle that could not be broken.  She reached out and became part of all of our hearts and that is where she will stay forever. Relatives and friends are invited to honor and celebrate her life at a funeral service at 11 am on Monday, May 8, in the Evangelical Congregational Church, 793 Main St., Lancaster. Burial will follow in Eastwood Cemetery, Lancaster.  In lieu of flowers, donations in Colleen's memory may be made to the Pancreatic Cancer Alliance, UMass Medical School/UMass Memorial Development Office, 333 South St., Shrewsbury, MA 01545.  Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to the care of Miles-Sterling  Funeral and Tribute Center, 100 Worcester Rd., Sterling.  To share a memory or offer an online condolence, please visit the "guest book" on this page.