Josephine "Jo" Adella (Piasecka) Duffey

Josephine Duffey, 102, passed on February 23, 2025.

Jo was born on September 16, 1922, in Long Island, New York, of Polish immigrant parents and raised in Pennsylvania before moving to Great Falls, Montana in 1948.

She attended business school in Philadelphia. In Great Falls she managed the local Hertz office and retired as the office manager/accountant for Coors Distributing in Great Falls.

Jo joined the Women’s Army Air Corps in WWII and achieved the rank of Sergeant. She loved her military service and was a true supporter of the military. Upon moving to Great Falls, she joined St. John’s Lutheran Church in 1953, becoming its first woman council member and serving numerous times on the church council over the years. She served her church faithfully until just before her passing and was in charge of church decorations for well over 30 years. St. John’s honored her as one of three “founding women’ of the church in 2023.

Jo was an active outdoorswoman who never lost her love of the outdoors, driving her beloved Winnebago until age 93, and continuing to camp with family until age 100. She was an avid fisherwoman and markswoman-quality hunter. She never missed an opportunity to golf, hike, boat, hunt, fish, garden, and camp.

A devoted, compassionate, and loving mother, she cared deeply for her family and enjoyed all the time spent with them. She also found great pleasure in living her outdoor life to the fullest. She will be remembered for her wonderful sense of humor, outdoor life, and heartfelt kindness to all who knew her. She was a blessing to her family and friends. If you were ill, homebound, hospitalized, or in a care facility, she would always be there for you.

Josephine was preceded in death by her brother, Ray and ex-husband, Frank Duffey. She is survived by her son, William Duffey (MT); daughter, Wanda Barber (IA); grandson, Kyle (Jamie) Barber; grandson, Ryan (Grace) Barber (OH); granddaughter, Kristen Barber; great-granddaughter, Sawyer Barber (AZ); niece, Anne Sanders (Paulo); grandnephews, Guillaume “William” and Leo; grandniece, Rachel (Paris, France); sister-in-law, Sylvie Sanders (Bretagne, France); cousin, Delores Shelly; and numerous extended family members in Pennsylvania.

Memorial services will be held at St. John’s Lutheran Church on April 11th at 1:00 PM. Graveside military burial will be held after the service at Highland Cemetery.

Memorial donations can be sent to St. John’s Lutheran Church, 5300 9th Avenue South, Great Falls, MT 59405.