Bishop Paul Andrews Duffey passed away Sunday, March 18, 2012 in North Georgia after suffering a brief illness. Visitation will be held Thursday, March 22 at Leak Memory Chapel from 5-7pm and also Friday, March 23 in the fellowship hall of First United Methodist Church, Montgomery at 10am. A memorial service wil be held at 11am in the sanctuary. Clergy of the United Methodist Church will be named honorary pall bearers for the memorial service and will be seated in a reserved section along with their spouses. A private burial will be held prior to the services.
Paul Andrews Duffey began life in Brownsville, Tennessee. After attending the University of Alabama, he finished his degree at Birmingham-Southern College. His alma mater has awarded him an honorary doctorate and elected him a life trustee where he was formerly chairman of the board. He also has been awarded honorary degrees from Union College (LH.D.) and Kentucky Wesleyan College (LL.D.) A Distinguished Service Award was given him by Lindsey Wilson College and the Trustees Award by Sue Bennett College. Huntington College conferred an honorary degree upon him in May, 2000.
While serving a student appointment, Paul Duffey received his M. Div. from the Divinity School at Vanderbilt University. Before finishing his formal education he had already joined the Tennessee Annual Conference where he was ordained deacon and elder, both times by Bishop Paul B. Kern. He served the Chapel Hill Circuit in the Tennessee Conference, then served six different appointments in the Alabama-West Florida Annual Conference: Abbeville; First Church, Marion; Dexter Avenue, Montgomery; First Church, Pensacola: First Church, Dothan; First Church, Montgomery.
In 1976 Paul Duffey was named District Superintendent of the Montgomery District of the Alabama-West Florida Conference where he was serving at the time of his election to the episcopacy by the Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference. He was assigned to the Louisville Area and served eight years. He was also Secretary of the Council of Bishops 1984-1988.
Bishop Paul Duffey and the late Louise Calhoun (1921-2010) were married in Selma, Alabama on June 20, 1944. Their children are Melanie Claire Duffey (Mrs. David N. Hutto, Jr.) and Paul A. Duffey, Jr.
