She taught me to swim when I was six. Well — she threw me in and yelled "kick!" from the deck. I've been swimming ever since.
Jamul, CA
Who She Was
The Long Version,
Roughly Speaking
Born in Oklahoma. Raised in La Cresta. Married her high school sweetheart, the Honorable Thomas Graham Duffy, in 1951 — and never looked back.
1930
Holdenville, Oklahoma
Born to Ava Beatrice (Estes) and Herman R. Apple on January 6, 1930. Moved to San Diego County with her mother Ava, stepfather David Constant, and stepsister Dorella in the 1940s. The family settled in La Cresta.
1951
A Nursing Certificate & A Wedding Ring
Earned her nursing certificate from Mercy College of Nursing in San Diego. Married Tom the same year. Moved to San Francisco while he attended Hastings College of the Law. Worked as a nurse at Saint Mary's Hospital.
Two kids before Tom's law degree. The woman never did one thing at a time.
1958
First Trip Down the Baja
She and Tom drove the peninsula in an old Chevy. Fell hard for it. Returned countless times — often with the whole family packed in. This was the start of the Baja years.
1974
The Move to Jamul
The Duffys moved from El Cajon to Deerhorn Valley — with the younger kids Sean and Erin, plus Sue's mother Ava and stepfather David in tow. Sue became a fixture of the community, best known for her American Red Cross backyard swim program. She taught generations of local kids to swim.
She also went back to Grossmont Hospital as a "Pink Lady," volunteering alongside the nursing staff.
∞
The World, and Then Home
In retirement, she and Tom circled the globe — Africa, South America, Asia, Russia, Australia, Europe, the British Isles. And then back home, to entertain friends and family beneath the oaks of Deerhorn Valley.
59 years of marriage before Tom passed in 2011. Their daughter Kelly Duffy Hartmann passed in June 2025. Sue joined them on October 22, 2025, surrounded by family at the ranch she built her life around. She was 95.
Tenacity, humor, fierce independence. A deep love of animals, landscaping, and family.
